12.07.17
Shared vision for quality social care is essential for all, says NHS Providers
NHS Providers have welcomed news revealed today that the CQC will join with over 100 people, organisations and national bodies involved with social care to mark a renewed effort to improve the sector.
In a report called ‘Quality Matters’, the regulator detailed a “determined and shared vision” on how better care and support can be achieved, and how person-centred care will be made the norm for all.
The work has been developed to ensure everybody in the social care chain plays their part in listening and acting upon concerns voiced by the people using services as well as their families and carers.
It comes after the CQC was told to inspect 12 local areas where social care was found to be lagging behind in terms of quality.
“I am delighted to support the launch of the Quality Matters commitment,” said Andrea Sutcliffe, CQC’s chief inspector of Adult Social Care. “This is an important moment for adult social care – such a broad coalition of people and organisations coming together to focus on quality will I hope make a sustainable difference for people using services, their families and carers.
“Quality Matters has been developed in collaboration and our ambitions can only succeed if we continue to work together to embed the principles we have agreed and deliver the practical actions people said they wanted to see.”
And Jackie Doyle-Price MP, parliamentary under-secretary of state for care and mental health, said that every day social care positively transforms lives in our country – supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
“We can be proud of the progress we are making on maintaining and improving quality but there is always more to do to address variation,” noted Doyle-Price. “That is why I welcome the launch of Quality matters and endorse the priority areas for action to make a real difference for people who use services, carers, families and everyone working in the sector.”
Sectors recognise there’s work left to do to improve social care
NHS Providers head of policy Amber Davenport also commented that a shared commitment to high-quality social care was something that was in everyone’s interest given the many complex challenges facing the sector.
“NHS Providers has endorsed the approach to improving the quality of adult social care set out in this plan,” she said. “It is a positive step towards a shared vision of quality and improvement between social care providers and the CQC.
“It will also support both local authorities and the NHS to improve the integration of services across health and care settings and ensure that patients receive the most appropriate care in the right place.”
And Margaret Willcox, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), said that the organisation recognised that lots of great care was delivered across the country every day, but that there was still a long way to go to bring the sector’s standards up to scratch.
“Whilst we recognise the pressure on the sector, not least the financial and workforce pressures, and continue to bring our influence to bear on these matters, we believe that more can and must be done to improve quality,” she continued.
“We are delighted that so many organisations have come together to develop the Quality Matters initiative, showing a real commitment to improving the quality of services, and in turn the lives of those that use them.”
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