The rollout of the Single Assessment Framework and the modern technology within the Care Quality Commission has not been a smooth and transparent process for care providers, with many sharing their frustrations. In this edition I dive into two of the key issues affecting providers and offer my suggestions how you can remain compliant.
The new provider portal was supposed to become the one stop shop for care providers when it was released in March this year but it has faced several issues since its launch. Here are some of the main problems reported:
- Sign-Up difficulties
- Access and functionality
- Technical glitches
Initially the regulator failed to acknowledge the issues, however in April, CQC acknowledged these issues, stating it was actively working on improvements and set out the temporary processes it had put in place to help providers who urgently need to complete registration actions and who are unable to use the regulator’s provider portal.
In order to remain compliant, I recommend that care providers:
- Follow the guidance from CQC on how to submit notifications
- Keep detailed records and stay organised
- Stay informed about updates from the CQC
- Delegate portal access wisely
- CQC are actively seeking feedback, so be sure to provide this
- Seek support from the regulator if needed
The new framework was supposed to bring consistency, however, there have been numerous concerns around the inconsistency of the way the framework is being rolled out across England, including:
- Inconsistency of Quality Statements being inspected
- Frequency of assessments
- Clarity of guidance
- Non face to face inspections
These issues have highlighted the need for ongoing refinement and improvement of the framework to ensure it accurately reflects the services being provided, and CQC are currently seeking feedback, however in the meantime to remain compliant, providers can:
- Engage with the regulator and maintain open lines of communication. Be sure to email them updates, even if you do not hear back, they will be documenting this on your account.
- Ensure you have a high-quality and robust auditing structure and document actions and improvements being made.
- Ensure compliance with training, recruitment records, supervision etc.
- Engage with other providers to share best practice
In July of this year an interim report by Dr Penny Dash who is carrying out an independent review into CQC highlighted failings of the regulator, including inspection levels being well below where they were pre-Covid, a lack of clinical expertise among inspectors and a lack of consistency in assessments. The full report will be available in Autumn, but a statement from the Department of Health and Social Care said the government will take “immediate steps to restore public confidence in the effectiveness of health and social care regulation” ahead of the full report. The Secretary of State, Wes Streeting stated the regulators safety ratings cannot be trusted and that CQC are ‘not fit for purpose’ before announcing four immediate steps to be taken by the Government and CQC, which included improving transparency in terms of how the CQC determines its ratings for providers.
As we await the full CQC review, we must ensure we remain compliant, evidence good care and outcomes and ensure that we have robust quality assurance processes in place to help people meet their goals and remain safe.
Mark Topps - Co-Founder of the Caring View and Social Care Leader
