Former CQC Inspector Victoria Carey shares her top tips on how you can prepare for the changes in how the CQC will be assessing your service:
“With the Care Quality Commission New Strategy Launch on the horizon and early testing due to start in the Summer, you may be thinking about the steps you can take to prepare for this huge transition.
Although the nitty gritty of the Quality Statements and Quality Indicators is not yet clear, what we do know is that there is a focus on increased contact with providers to be carried out remotely rather that the emphasis on less frequent onsite Inspections.
Provider Evidence will be reviewed under a lens of collaboration between people in receipt of care in addition to the wider health and social care sphere, with people being involved in their care and support, rather than having care “done to” them.
How can you and your staff team prepare for the change?
- Sign up for CQC newsletters and bulletins.
- Check the CQC’s information for providers portal regularly.
- Join the CQC Citizen lab. This gives you the opportunity to be part of the change through participating in the testing and development of new ways of working – being in the room is a great way to create something that works for you.
- Participate in Pilots- agreeing to participate in a pilot gives early insight into CQC ideas and ways of thinking
- Ensure your PIR is up to date and reviewed regularly, make sure it is accessible and easy to share, consider using the DMA questions as a framework for assessing your own compliance and improving care.
- Keep a record of anything your service has done that goes “above and beyond” the norm: any alteration or innovation in practice relating to meeting the needs of the wider health and social care community or individuals.
- Work collaboratively within your integrated care system, share ideas and participate in pilots and initiatives to alleviate pressures in one service area, be a good neighbour.
- Share incidents and information across partnership agencies such as commissioning teams and visiting healthcare professionals. The CQC will be asking for feedback from them.
- Consider how best to store and present your evidence. A compliance software system like iBenchmark will enable you to store and share evidence electronically, which is evidence in support of the new CQC focus on Environmental Sustainability.
Although these changes may be daunting, with planning and preparation the transition should be reasonably straight forward. The CQC are aiming to relieve the workload of providers and disruption to services caused by a big onsite Inspection every few years by ongoing oversight.
Moreover, requests for evidence should be less burdensome as it is reviewed during the year. We can also look forward to shorter and more concise inspection reports, which will be a definite positive.”
Our team at Care 4 Quality. are keeping a close eye on the CQC and any changes taking place, ensuring we have the expertise necessary to support healthcare providers to excel under the new inspection model. Speak to our team today to find out more about our registration, mock inspection, and compliance support!
