England’s health and social care watchdog ‘not fit for purpose’, says Streeting as hospital goes unchecked for 10 years
26 July 2024, 00:01
England's health and social care watchdog is "not fit for purpose", Wes Streeting has said.
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Mr Streeting's comments were a reaction to an independent review into the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the body that monitors and inspects all health and adult social care providers to ensure safety and quality standards.
It identified "significant internal failings" affecting its ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care homes and GP practices.
Mr Streeting said he was "stunned by the extent of the failings" revealed in the report.
The Health Secretary has pledged an immediate action to restore public confidence following the report's findings.
Mr Streeting said: "When I joined the department, it was already clear that the NHS was broken and the social care system in crisis.
"But I have been stunned by the extent of the failings of the institution that is supposed to identify and act on failings. It's clear to me the CQC is not fit for purpose.
"We cannot wait to act on these findings, so I have ordered the publication of this interim report so action can begin immediately to improve regulation and ensure transparency for patients.
"I know this will be a worrying development for patients and families who rely on CQC assessments when making choices about their care.
"I want to reassure them that I am determined to grip this crisis and give people the confidence that the care they're receiving has been assessed. This Government will never turn a blind eye to failure."
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The review, led by Dr Penny Dash, chairwoman of the North West London Integrated Care Board, found one hospital had not been inspected for 10 years.
Of the locations the CQC has the power to inspect, it is estimated about one in five have never received a rating, the interim report found.
It also revealed a lack of experience among some staff including examples of inspectors visiting hospitals and saying they had never been in a hospital before as well as an inspector of a care home who had never met a person with dementia.
The report found inspection numbers were still well below pre-Covid levels, a lack of consistency in the watchdog's assessments and issues with its IT system.
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The Department of Health and Social Care announced immediate steps to restore public confidence in the CQC, which is appointing Professor Sir Mike Richards, a former hospital physician and its first chief inspector of hospitals, to review its assessment framework.
Transparency regarding how the regulator determines ratings for health and social care providers will also be improved and the Government will have increased oversight of the CQC, the department said.
Dr Dash was asked to carry out the review of the CQC in May and has spoken to about 200 senior managers, caregivers and clinicians working across the sector, along with more than 50 senior managers and professional advisers at the body over the last two months.
She said: "The contents of my interim report underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reform within the CQC.
"By addressing these failings together, we can enhance the regulator's ability to inspect and rate the safety and quality of health and social care services across England.
"Our ultimate goal is to build a robust, effective regulator that can support a sustainable and high-performing NHS and social care system which the general public deserves."
Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: "This is going to be a long and difficult journey for the CQC, but one that is entirely necessary.
"Care England stands ready to work with the regulator to help them deliver an effective and supportive regulatory system that will be the cornerstone of public protection and delivers fair judgments across health and social care.
"The CQC must embark on a radical improvement programme that should not only include some tangible improvements in their performance, but also needs to move away from a culture of blame.
"We all want proportionate and effective regulation, and the challenge now is for CQC to take action and work with organisations across the sector to deliver it."
Kate Terroni, CQC's interim chief executive, said: "We accept in full the findings and recommendations in this interim review, which identifies clear areas where improvement is urgently needed.
"Many of these align with areas we have prioritised as part of our work to restore trust with the public and providers by listening better, working together more collaboratively and being honest about what we've got wrong.
"We are working at pace and in consultation with our stakeholders to rebuild that trust and become the strong, credible, and effective regulator of health and care services that the public and providers need and deserve."
Progress will be monitored over the summer and the full independent report will be published in autumn, the Department of Health said.
