13.12.16
CQC to boost public engagement from April in major five-year strategy
The CQC will publish a strategy for more round-the-clock engagement with members of the public next year, papers for its board meeting tomorrow have revealed.
The engagement strategy comes as part of the CQC’s ‘Shaping the future’ strategy for 2016-21, which was published earlier this year.
The organisation wants to introduce a more collaborative, targeted and responsive approach going forward, and argued that this must involve making information more immediately available to the public and engaging with minority communities.
It noted that it has already increased its online and social media engagement in the past year, as well as increased unprompted public awareness of its work and the number of people sharing their views and opinions.
But the body has now developed four objectives for its new public engagement strategy for the future, including:
- Work in partnership with organisations that represent people, including building closer relationships with Healthwatch groups
- Make better use of the opinions of patients and families in improving its understanding of the quality of care
- Provide and promote public information to help people to understand what good care looks like on a 24/7 basis
- Embedding an “innovative and streamlined” approach to public engagement which “delivers value for money” in the CQC’s work
The inspectorate added that it would support its registration and inspection teams to carry out the work; identify and access intelligence held by providers and commissioners which could be used to deliver it; and “embed a public focused culture” in its work.
Its public engagement strategy is due to be published on 6 April next year.
Also today, the CQC published its major report into how the NHS responds to the deaths of vulnerable patients today, which revealed some stark findings – including that all providers are consistently failing to learn from deaths.
Last week, the NHS Confederation warned that the CQC must use its ‘Shaping the future’ strategy to convince NHS providers that it actually offers value for money.
(Image c. CQC)
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