Catch up TV
If you didn’t catch the Care Quality Commission’s webinar on the launch of the CQC strategy 2021… don’t worry! Like iPlayer and Netflix the CQC have come through and you can watch it on catch up on YouTube here.
Or the written word
If watching Ian Trenholme the CQC Chief Inspector along with a heavyweight cast from all sectors is not your thing, a new strategy for the changing world of health and social care – CQC’s strategy from 2021 can be found directly on their homepage.
Team Effort
Ian Trenholm acknowledged the strategy was a ‘Team Effort’ of service user, public, provider and partnership coproduction, reflecting voices and lived experience. He was keen to stress there was a lot of work to be done, and further engagement with stakeholders.
To get to grips with everything within the strategy go to the CQC strategy page, but here I will tell you what stood out to me.
So what came up?
Evolution
This was not branded as an out with the old and in with the new, but an evolution of the assessment framework adapted to meet the needs of service users and addressing inequalities in local systems.
Within this, key elements of safety – including closed communities, how local systems work together and addressing inequalities threaded through the webinar.
It was acknowledged that the 5 key questions worked well but the Key Lines of Enquiry would be refined to reflect what really matters to people who use the service. Inequalities in provision and local systems working together.
Bottom line:
- Be prepared for a reduced set of KLOEs whose content although harks back to some familiarity, includes changed and meatier statements
- Greater emphasis on what matters to people as they access, use and move between services looking at risk and harm to them and what drives quality of improvement
- CQC want to see how your service reflects the lived experience of people who use the service and meets the needs of people in the community – not how you want to run it
Don’t worry – we have been promised a pilot of how this works – and further engagement with CQC.
Remember QCS are tracking this work and will be ready with a package to suit the needs of your service.
Regulatory Tool Box
This was mentioned a few times – it means an approach would be selected depending on the circumstances, the point was made that inspection would only be necessary where other methods could not gain the same information.
Bottom Line:
- Automatic inspection frequencies will be done away with and replaced with action informed by risk
- This could be a desk based assessment of the information held in a focused area with the use of tech to reach out to stakeholders including people who use the service
Dynamic Process
We have heard it before, but this time CQC mean business. Being smart with their information sources with a ‘live’ approach to information – using information smartly from varying high quality sources. CQC have invested heavily in tech in recent years.
CQC pledge to have meaningful engagement with those who have lived experience (a phrase that was used a lot) to increase the quality of engagement and the information that comes from it.
Bottom Line
- CQC will have a new provider portal where information can be uploaded in real time
- Ratings would be updated when there is evidence that shows a change in quality. And not always related to an inspection
- Be prepared for the way ratings are worded to change too to make them meaningful for all
All at once?
No. Don’t panic. Year one will see;
- Monitor risk and testing a new assessment framework at provider and local area level
- Piloting the assessment framework
- A new Provider Portal and mobile friendly website (independent voice report)
- Safety and improvement engagement – looking at the definition and language for each sector
I’ve packed more in here than my son does in his holiday backpack – so ensure you visit CQC for the full strategy and to have your voice heard.
