Explaining the Immediate Changes from the CQC
As of the 3rd October, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has introduced a series of immediate changes aimed at rebuilding trust in their regulation of health and social care services.
These changes follow recent criticisms of the CQC’s operations and represent the regulator's commitment to improving transparency, efficiency, and responsiveness.
Although the announcement was brief, several key updates stand out, providing insight into the CQC’s future direction and approach to regulation.
Key Objectives
In a statement from the CQC they explained how these improvements are intended to better support service for health and care providers whilst also enhancing the clarity and effectiveness of CQC assessments.
The main goals include:
Clear and transparent assessment and rating processes
Faster, more efficient registration and assessment of providers
Simpler, clearer reports for better understanding
Now that all sounds great, but how are they looking to achieve this? Whilst they intend to spend an extended period consulting with care providers and experts across the sector, there have been some immediate changes that have come into effect.
Immediate Changes
Strengthening Leadership:
The CQC has now recruited a new Chief Executive Sir Julian Hartley, and are looking appoint three new Chief Inspectors to enhance leadership across the health and care sectors.
2. Reviewing the Assessment Framework:
In collaboration with Professor Sir Mike Richards and Professor Vic Rayner, the CQC is reviewing improvements to its single assessment framework (SAF). These reviews, informed by feedback from stakeholders, will help refine how the CQC assesses the quality of care and applies its ratings.
3. Improved Provider Relationships:
A pilot project aimed at improving CQC-provider relationships has been launched, starting with NHS trusts and expanding to other providers. This pilot will continue into next year, with final decisions on how to implement the most effective approach to be made after its conclusion.
4. Sector-Specific Team Management:
Another pilot is testing new ways for operations managers to oversee teams within specific care sectors, with a view to improving the management and efficiency of inspections.
Internal Changes to Support Faster Assessments
We have heard from countless providers who have struggled with the growing wait times for CQC assessments. In fact, in a Review into the Operational Effectiveness of the CQC by Dr Penny Dash, she reports how there has been a stark reduction in activity. In 2023 to 2024, only 6,700 inspections and assessments were carried out, partly due to the rollout of the SAF. This compares with around 15,800 inspections conducted in 2019 to 2020
To support an increase in these assessments, the CQC is making several internal improvements:
Updating the Single Assessment Framework:
The CQC will now score at the quality statement level and rate at the key question level. This differs from the original SAF which was scored at the individual evidence category level. This change will allow inspectors to assess more services while maintaining robust, accurate ratings. The new approach also aims to produce clearer, more concise reports.
2. Enhanced Use of Technology:
Countless providers have complained about the new ‘Provider Portal’ which was rolled out earlier this year. In response to this, the CQC has promised upgrades to the provider portal are also planned, with more information on these improvements to be announced soon. They also seek to improve the technology they use for assessments, factual accuracy checks, report generation, and registration processes.
Ongoing and Future Work
The CQC is actively working on assessing local authorities under the Care Act 2014, implementing ongoing improvements as this work progresses. Engagement with health and care providers, as well as local government, remains a priority to ensure the regulator hears and responds to sector feedback.
Assessments of integrated care systems (ICSs) are currently paused as the CQC continues discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care. These assessments will resume in line with the recommendations from Dr Penny Dash's final report.
Collaborating with Providers
As part of its commitment to co-designing the future of regulation, the CQC is inviting providers to contribute to shaping key elements of their approach. Initial areas of focus include:
Defining what a ‘Good’ rating looks like
Developing a clear and accessible regulatory handbook
Further details, including the frequency of assessments and provider participation in pilot schemes, will be shared soon.
For more information, you read the full statement from the CQC here.
