18.07.13
Improved inspections announced at 18 trusts
The new chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, has announced new plans for inspection, with a mix of announced and unannounced visits to hospitals.
Sir Mike will lead bigger teams of experts, and inspections will always look at the following departments: A&E, maternity, paediatrics, acute medical and surgical pathways, frail elderly and end of life care, and out patients.
Inspections will start at the end of next month at 18 NHS trusts.
Sir Mike said: “These new-style inspections will allow us to get a much more detailed picture of care in hospitals than has ever been possible before in England.
“Inspections will be supported by an improved method for identifying risks and with much more information direct from patients and their families, and hospital staff.”
Mike Farrar, NHS Confederation chief executive, said: “Professor Sir Mike Richards has set out a clear vision for what he wants his new role to achieve. This reflects the CQC's broader aim of returning to a system of specialist, thorough inspection with greater involvement of staff and the public.
“This new role is just one part of improving standards of hospital care, and we should never forget that the responsibility to provide patients with the highest standards rests first and foremost with staff and leaders. This new system of inspection should act as a further guarantee for people using the health service and working in it that the alarm will be raised on poor standards of care.
“We will need to look closely at the finer details of this new system and get a better understanding of how the changes will impact on organisations, staff and patients. As the system develops, it is vital NHS leaders are involved in shaping it to ensure that it is fair, transparent and proportionate in order to avoid the problems of its predecessor systems of inspection.”
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