The CQC ‘got things wrong’ in the implementation of its new regulatory approach, its chief has admitted, while announcing an increase to inspections.
Interim chief executive Kate Terroni wrote to providers yesterday to say that the new system has ‘made things more difficult than they should be’, and announced that the CQC ‘will increase the number of assessments and inspections’ that they are doing.
She also added that the changes in how the CQC manages relationships ‘have left many providers feeling unsupported’ and that the watchdog ‘didn’t listen properly or take on board these concerns’.
As a result, the CQC ‘lost the trust’ of providers, she said.
The letter also announced three ‘urgent and immediate areas of action’ including more inspections, increased support for providers and solving issues with their providers’ portal.
Ms Terroni said: ‘I want to start with an apology. We’ve got things wrong in the implementation of our new regulatory approach.
‘I know that the changes we’ve delivered so far are not what we promised. It’s made things more difficult than they should be. We’re not where we want to be, and we’re determined to put things right.’
She said that ‘technical issues and challenges’ with the provider portal mean that some providers are ‘still not able to have a good experience’ and that many providers have experienced delays in registering.
She added: ‘On top of this, the changes in how we manage relationships have left many providers feeling unsupported.
‘Many of the issues we’re experiencing now were anticipated and flagged by providers and our own people. We didn’t listen properly or take on board these concerns, and that’s why we’re where we are now.
‘Though there was significant engagement and co-production of the high-level elements of our approach, we didn’t follow that process into the detail of how we’ll assess providers. I know that, for some of you, we’ve lost your trust because of this. I’m sorry.’
Ms Terroni was appointed as interim chief executive last month after Ian Trenholm stepped down.
In full: The actions CQC will take
Improve how we’re using our regulatory approach
- We’ll increase and improve the support and guidance for providers on our regulatory approach.
- We’ll increase the number of assessments and inspections we’re doing. We’ll share more detail on how we plan to do this, soon.
- We’ve already increased the number of people working in registration and are working to get to any outstanding registration applications as soon as possible. You should soon start to see improvements in registration waiting times.
Fix and improve our provider portal
- We’ll continue working with providers to identify improvements that can be made to the portal and to design solutions together.
Rethink our ways of working
- We’ll be testing a new approach to relationship management that enables a closer and more consistent contact point for providers and we will further develop this in partnership with providers.
Source: CQC
It comes after it was announced that the CQC is set to face a review into its ‘operational effectiveness’ led by North West London ICS chair Penny Dash.
The watchdog started to roll out its new GP practice assessment framework from November last year.
The new approach still uses five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led) and a four-point ratings scale (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate) but as part of the changes, the CQC introduced six new ‘evidence categories’ to organise information under the statements.
These new categories include people’s experience of health and care services, feedback from staff and leaders, feedback from partners, observation, processes and outcomes.
Has the CQC ever had the trust of the providers?
In respect of regulatory organisations of any type usually overseeing highly qualified dedicated staff at the frontline actually doing the work and not joining some highly paid remote desk ‘computer search analysing admin Criticiser machine’.
I would guess most if not all who view Pulse could be trained to be doing these CQC Criticiser NHS attack positions within 7 days.
Most CQC inspectors could not be trained to our jobs within 7 years.
Maybe we should all give up and just become ‘Criticisers’ so we don’t have the pressure of meeting demands .targets within a service unfit for purpose and can just criticise and find fault with others -far less stressful!
A pointless organisation who has never had the trust of any GP.
Why can’t these jobsworths go and get a proper job instead of spending their days harassing hard working health care professionals toiling away on the front line?
Strange and inconsistent how the choice of approach to regulation is politico-economically neoliberal when it comes to private enterprise, ie., deregulate, deregulate and again deregulate, yet when it comes to the public sector (NHS and schools etc), the same lunatic neoliberal fundamentalist disciples want to destroy it by over-regulation, dysregulation and then some more. Even Adam Smith recognised the value of public goods.
Should be a level playing field regarding the politics of regulation, private vs public.
If regulation is required in the public sector, let it be the lightest of touches but better still, CQC begone.