09.10.14
CQC reveals plans to drive out ‘poor’ adult social care
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is ‘calling time’ on poor levels of adult social care, after revealing details of its new inspection regime for the sector.
Andrea Sutcliffe, the regulator’s chief inspector of adult social care, said that the CQC, after 18 months of consultation, has issued new documents called ‘handbooks’ to providers, which will help them understand how they will be assessed and rated from now on.
Under the new Ofsted-style system, the CQC will rate services as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate so that people can have access to clear information to help them make informed choices about their care.
Specialist teams, including trained members of the public (called Experts by Experience), will carry out the inspections, unannounced, against what matters most to those who use them: are they safe, caring, effective, responsive to their needs, and well-led?
Sutcliffe said: “We have developed our regulatory model with people who use services, care providers, commissioners, national partners and our staff. I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time and effort to respond during our consultation, participate in our various events, and work with us during our test inspections to help us to develop our strengthened approach.
“The detail in the handbooks is about making the Mum Test real. On their visits, I will ask our inspection teams to consider whether these are services that they would be happy for someone they love and care for to use. If they are, then we will celebrate this through our ratings. If they are not, we will take tough action so that improvements are made. Above all else, my priority is to make sure people receive care that is safe, effective, high-quality and compassionate."
Separate handbooks have been published for regulation of residential adult care with and without nursing and another for regulation of community adult social care, including care for people in their own home.
Care and support minister Norman Lamb added that this marks a turning point for the way we care for people in this country.
“Gone is the tick-box exercise for inspecting care homes and home care – now we are listening to the views of the people who rely on these services and have tougher checks to make sure they are getting safe, compassionate care from staff who are supported by good managers,” he said.
“And at the end of it the service will be given a rating that’s easy to understand, so families will know if it is up to scratch.”
Tony Hunter, chief executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), added that his organisation recognises the importance of the 'Mum Test' in making sure that the CQC's inspections are truly focused around the people who receive care.
He believes the CQC's new model of inspection will go a long way towards ensuring that poor care is stamped out and that quality care is celebrated.
For more information on the handbooks, click here.
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