Our Policy Director, Liz Jones, attended the monthly CQC Trade Association meeting on 14 January 2020 while our Policy, Research and Projects Officer, Nathan Jones, attended the Coproduction meeting on 15 January 2020. Below is a summary of the topics discussed at both.
- New CQC colleagues
We met two new CQC colleagues – Mary Cridge, new Deputy Chief Inspector for the Midlands and lead on Quality Improvement and LPS and Jen Charlton, new Comms and engagement for the provider team
- Updates from the CQC
New CQC Podcast – out now! The first of 4 podcasts being trialled by the CQC. There will be one a week, with four in total for this batch.
Action: please listen and provide feedback via the short survey after each one. Tell us what you think as well!
Registering the Right Support: CQC has updated this statutory guidance to reflect more up to date examples and case studies. However, there has been no change to the CQC policy position. The CQC is taking advice as to whether it needs to consult on the updated guidance.
Clarity was sought by the trade associations as to whether this is an update or a review…… especially in relation to the position on the size of services for these vulnerable groups. The CQC will provide advice at the next meeting.
Thematic review of restraint, segregation and prolonged seclusion: CQC are in the final stage of this review, with the final report due in Spring 2020. The Coproduction meeting looked at early findings and had a discussion around what good practice might look like and the role of CQC in this.
CQC’s Future Strategy: CQC are in the process of developing their strategy beyond 2021 with the input of the coproduction group. The need to become more data and intelligence driven, to recognise the growing technologies and innovations in the sector, and to consider the impact of commissioning on quality and sustainability of care, all featured in the discussions.
- Hot Topics
Sexual safety in adult social care report. Ongoing concerns raised over this report. All the trade associations registered significant concerns.
- Inspection experience
How to get the most out of inspections – key principles and shared understanding for both providers and inspectors to improve the inspection experience
Building on the discussions and feedback from previous meetings and workshop, this provides helpful key themes/ underpinning principles to shape the inspection process for both providers and inspectors. It then sets out shared expectations and behaviours for the beginning of the inspection visit, during the inspection visit and at the end of the inspection visit. This is a helpful document which is seeking to address misconceptions, clarify misunderstandings and address common barriers to making the inspection experience respectful.
- New Inspection Reports – Evaluation
The CQC are keen to receive feedback about the new style inspection reports which have been in place since March last year. Issues raised by the trade associations were:
- Lack of clarity about evidence for statements – are examples quoted one off things or systematic issues
- Reports which set out a requires improvement outcome now have less detail to help providers understand the issues and actin needed to resolve them
- As documents aimed at the general public, there are merits to the new style of reports, but also some drawbacks.
Action: the CQC will be seeking views directly from providers via a survey. Please do complete this when it is available
- Current rating analysis for adult social care
The CQC produced their quarterly updated ratings analysis for adult social care correct as at 6 January 2020. There were a few key messages: the overall ratings by quarter are showing a small but potentially interesting squeeze on the number of services rated ‘good’ in the last 2 quarters and there is less variation between the ratings for residential homes and nursing homes than in previous quarter.
Health warning on all of this though – this is the picture in time as at 6 January 2020.
Download the slides for ASC Trade Association meeting 14 January here.
Slides for the ASC Coproduction meeting are not publicly available at this time.
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