There are still elements of the CQC’s Single Assessment Framework that we know are likely to be changed and embedded. Firstly, we have the Sustainability Quality Statement which will begin to be scored in late 2024, changes and recommendations off the back of Penny Dash’s CQC review for Government, Skills for Care’s Workforce Strategy recommendations and commitments made by the regulator and changes due to internal changes with the change in the senior leadership team. Let’s explore what some of these will be and how we can prepare
Sustainability
We know this will begin to be scored and form part of the inspection outcome from late 2024, however CQC have not released any fixed plans of what they are expecting providers to do. At the time of writing, CQC advised me to look at their website for further information (which didn’t really give me much)
I would ensure that all your staff are trained on sustainability, recycling initiatives are in place, ensure you recycle and consider how you can reduce your food wastage. Gordons Partnership Solicitors have done a great job at breaking down the CQC’s Sustainability Quality Statement and providing practical steps you can take within your service. You could use this list to start the conversation with your new working group about which ones you will prioritise and which can be implemented further down the line. Find out more here.
Skills for Care Workforce Strategy Recommendations and Commitments
There is more talk around retention plans within social care and CQC have committed to ensuring providers are proactive with recruitment and retention planning. I would definitely start to have a think about what yours looks like for your organisation and how you retain your staff. To do this I would:
- Analyse your current retention rates, turnover rates and why people are leaving
- Conduct surveys with your team to understand their satisfaction levels and concerns
- Conduct exit interviews
- Ensure you have a clear career pathway
- Review your retention and recognition/reward offering
- Review what your competitors are doing
CQC have committed to implementing a social care workforce race equality standard (to start in 2024) and to improve wellbeing guidance and training from 2025. Reading the workforce plan there is a theme around wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion and here are some things as providers we can begin to do:
- Review your current wellbeing offering – what works well, what do staff like, what would they like in the future etc.
- What external support is there, how do you signpost/refer people, do staff know where or how.
- Embed wellbeing into supervisions and appraisals.
- Implement a wellbeing champion
- Can you afford to have a wellbeing specialist/practitioner do workshops/drop-in sessions with your staff to build their resilience
- Review your equality, diversity and inclusion policy(s) and ensure you have a zero-tolerance protocol in place.
- Look at what training your team undertake in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion – what is the feedback like from staff who have done this? Do you need to change the course/materials etc.
- Implement an equality, diversity and inclusion champion
At the time of writing the scoring and Provider Information Return (PIR) is being reviewed. It is likely we will see further changes within the CQC with the change of leadership team, the Single Assessment Framework with the Penny Dash review although CQC have been clear that the framework itself is staying.
Mark Topps, Co-Founder of the Caring View and Social Care Leader
