Last Updated on August 24, 2016
The Department of Health is seeking views on proposed changes to Care Quality Commission (CQC) performance assessment regulations to include CQC ratings for additional sectors.
The Care Act 2014 requires the CQC to carry out performance assessments of providers of health and adult social care services. These performance assessments are provided in the form of a rating.
When ratings were introduced in 2014, they were limited to NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts, GP practices, adult social care providers and independent hospitals.
The Department of Health says that CQC has learned from the process of developing ratings for these sectors and the Government would like to see this learning applied to other sectors regulated by CQC.
These sectors include:
- cosmetic surgery providers,
- independent community health service providers,
- independent ambulance services,
- independent dialysis units,
- refractive eye surgery providers,
- substance misuse centres,
- termination of pregnancy services.
The consultation explains the reasons behind this, ‘The experience CQC has gained from implementing ratings, combined with the positive reception to its approach, has given the Commission confidence in its ability to apply the rating methodology to other sectors. Working with CQC, the Department of Health has considered changes to the scope of the performance assessment regulations, to enable CQC to rate additional provider sectors.
‘There is now a case to apply performance ratings to other sectors regulated by CQC. In identifying these sectors, we have considered whether a rating would be of value to users and commissioners of services and whether CQC has the capacity to start rating the providers in 2017.’
Professor Edward Baker, Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals at CQC, said, ‘Our ratings of NHS trusts, general practices, independent hospitals, and adult social care services are supporting providers to improve and importantly, helping people to make informed choices about their care.
‘Through our ratings of 'Outstanding', 'Good', 'Requires Improvement' and 'Inadequate', never before has the public had such clear and accessible information about the quality and safety of their services.
‘The Department of Health’s consultation proposes to extend the types of services that we are able to award these ratings to in the interests of continued transparency and so that we can make sure people receive the safe, high-quality and compassionate care they deserve.
‘Extending the scope of our ratings to cover these additional services would allow us to celebrate even more 'Good' and 'Outstanding' care that is out there and to help the public be even clearer on those services that need additional support to improve.'
The Department of Health is encouraging feedback from interested parties on whether it is appropriate for CQC to undertake ratings of these sectors. The consultation website is here.
This consultation closes on 14th October 2016.