A major review into the CQC has confirmed ‘significant failings’ in the way the watchdog operates, the Government has revealed.
The independent report, which was commissioned by the Government and was led by North West London ICS chair Dr Penny Dash, will be published in full today.
It will point out ‘significant internal failings’ at the regulator, ‘which are hampering its ability to identify poor performance’ at GP practices, hospitals and care homes.
In July, Dr Dash’s interim report had already identified low levels of inspections, a ‘lack of clinical expertise’ and a ‘lack of consistency’ in GP inspections.
Today the full report will confirm failings at the CQC regarding its ‘operational effectiveness’, including ‘poor performance’ in relation to inspections and ‘a lack of capacity and capability’ to deliver improvements.
It will provide seven recommendations for improvement, including recommending that the CQC formally pauses the implementation of its assessments of ICSs as it works ‘to restore public confidence in health and care regulation’.
According to the Government, this will allow the CQC to ‘focus on getting the basics right’ when assessing the organisations it regulates.
Dr Dash said: ‘This report reiterates the findings of my interim report while providing further detail and analysis of the CQC’s performance.
‘It builds on insights and perspectives from patients and users, and a wide range of health and social care providers as well as senior leaders from the NHS and local authorities.
‘I am very grateful to the large number of staff within the CQC who have come forward to share their experiences of the last few years and to make recommendations for the future. They have shown exceptional patience and professionalism throughout this difficult period.’
The interim report had also raised concerns around the CQC’s new single assessment framework, including the heavy reliance on GP patient survey data to understand patient experience, which ‘may not be representative’, and the CQC admitted it ‘got things wrong’ when implementing the new framework.
Following the publication of Dr Dash’s interim report, the regulator asked Professor Sir Mike Richards to conduct an internal review of the single assessment framework and its implementation, which will also be published today.
The CQC said it has accepted the recommendations of both reports is ‘taking rapid action in response’.
In agreement with the Department of Health and Social Care, the CQC has paused its assessments of ICSs for six months and said that this is ‘to free up capacity to carry out more assessments’ of providers and enable the regulator to modify its current assessment framework.
The watchdog said it will work with providers, colleagues, people who use services, local government, and wider stakeholders to ‘develop a plan’ on how it will implement these changes and ‘make sure it is realistic about what can be delivered by when’. Once this is signed off, CQC will share what people can expect, and when.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Patient safety is the bedrock of a healthy NHS and social care system. That’s why we are taking steps to reform the CQC, to root out poor performance and ensure patients can have confidence in its ratings once again.
‘This Government will never turn a blind eye to failure. An overly complex system of healthcare regulation and oversight is no good for patients or providers. We will overhaul the system to make it effective and efficient, to protect patient safety.’
Mr Streeting has asked Dr Dash to conduct further reviews into patient safety and quality, examining the roles and remits of six organisations: CQC (including the maternity programme); National Guardian’s Office (NGO); Healthwatch England (HWE) and the Local Healthwatch (LHW) network; Health Services Safety Investigation Body; Patient Safety Commissioner and NHS Resolution (quality and safety functions only).
Earlier this month, the CQC announced that Sir Julian Hartley will be appointed as its new chief executive.
He has been the chief executive of NHS Providers since February last year, and was chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals for ten years.
