Following on from my article last month which looked at what’s happened recently with CQC, where we are now and what this means for providers, I provide below a summary of information that has come out since the original article was published.

Statement from Kate Terroni

On 29 August CQC sent out a further message from Kate Terroni providing an update on steps taken by CQC in delivering on the priorities, as set out in her initial communication of 15 July 2024. CQC stated this was the first of a series of regular updates on progress that will be sent out.

The following matters were addressed in the statement:

  • Updating CQC’s approach to relationship management.
    • CQC is piloting a new approach in the NHS sector, looking at creating more opportunities for services to build trusted relationships with their local assessment team. For example, having a named provider oversight lead to offer a single point of contact. CQC intends to collect and evaluate learning from this initial roll-out and will be working with other sectors to co-design the right approach for them. No timescales have been provided to date in relation to how long the initial pilot will take or when other sectors can expect to be involved.
  • Having the right expertise in place.
    • Chief Inspectors: CQC reiterated their commitment to returning to three Chief Inspectors and stated they will be progressing with recruitment as soon as possible.
    • Inspectors: CQC has decided to revert to the single inspector role (therefore removing the remote role of ‘assessors’) so that more staff can deliver inspection activity. The statement confirmed CQC is looking to recruit more people with relevant specialist expertise and is also reaching out to people who have recently left CQC.
  • Frequency of assessments.
    • Despite previously stating they would release an interim statement in August with more information being released in September, they have now pushed this back and instead stated they’ll share an update on this ‘as soon as possible’. The reason provided for the delay is that CQC is focused on increasing the number of assessments it undertakes and improving its regulatory approach generally.
  • A regulatory handbook and the provider portal.
    • CQC has begun conversations with relevant people about the development of the new regulatory handbook and improved guidance. They have confirmed the new handbook will include what ‘Good’ looks like for each sector and explain what providers can expect from an inspection. I note reference to ‘what customer services standards should be expected from CQC’, previously mentioned as something stakeholders would like to see included, is not mentioned in the latest press release.
    • CQC has launched a survey to help shape the new handbook – the survey can be accessed at the following link: https://citizenlabco.typeform.com/to/HEOtbzTI. Providers should take the opportunity to respond to the handbook survey to help impact the development of the new handbook.
    • CQC has again acknowledged difficulties providers have had with the portal and confirmed providers can continue to submit all statutory notifications by email if they’ve found it difficult to sign up to the portal.

CQC involvement in Skills for Care podcast

On 19 September 2024 CQC’s Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care and Integrated Care, James Bullion, was a guest on the Skills for Care podcast ‘The Care Exchange’. He spoke about his role as Chief Inspector as well as the changes that CQC is implementing. Listeners were given the opportunity to suggest questions prior to the podcast and some tricky questions were put to him during the session.

Among other things, he was specifically asked about the Dash Review, CQC’s plans for improvement and how to rebuild trust in the regulator.

He acknowledged the interim Dash Report was a difficult moment for CQC, he recognised the validity of the issues highlighted and commented on the issues faced by CQC and how CQC intends to address the issues through its recovery plan. In particular he commented on the development of the new provider handbook to help hold CQC and others to account and to help rebuild trust. He noted CQC is engaging with trade associations and representative bodies in the first instance so recommended providers primarily get in contact with them to engage with the development process.

He was also asked about the move to digital records for providers. In responding, he acknowledged that digitization was a national aim but also accepted it was not the be all and end all, recognising that quality can be conveyed in paper records and that people who don’t have digital records shouldn’t be at an automatic disadvantage. He noted digital was just a mechanism for portraying information and, while staff would need to understand how to use a services digital records, the core of the matter should be ensuring staff have a professional understanding of how to interpret information to identify potential risks and judge quality. He highlighted the main point is how well do services exchange information and reflect on the information they have about an individual and that quality is more important than how records are made.

He was additionally asked about how CQC ensures consistency in the judgements made by inspectors and the evidence they are seeing. He stated CQC have to accept that as an organisation of 3000 people and 1000 plus inspectors, they have to live with some inconsistency, while it can be minimized it will never be gone. He acknowledged a need to be flexible and adaptable to do things differently if circumstances warrant it. Most importantly, he was clear to state that where people note inconsistencies they need to tell CQC – he noted that unless CQC knows about it, it won’t be picked up.

James Bullion’s comments on consistency highlight the importance of providers engaging with their inspectors during the assessment process and raising any concerns at the earliest possible opportunity. This can include raising concerns during the assessment process itself, contacting individuals within the inspection team where appropriate, pursuing the CQC factual accuracy comments process and utilising CQC’s complaints process where necessary.

You can listen to the full episode at the following link (Series 5, Episode 1):

https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Support-for-leaders-and-managers/Support-for-registered-managers/The-care-exchange/The-care-exchange-Series-5.aspx

 

No further information has been released to date but it is expected that additional statements will continue to be released by CQC over the coming weeks and months. Providers should sign up to CQC’s email circulars to ensure they get the most up to date news on developments and actively engage with CQC’s requests for feedback. The Health and Social Care Team at Gordons Partnership will continue to report on any significant changes that take place through the monthly newsletter and on LinkedIn.

 

About the Author

Samantha Burges

Senior Associate Solicitor