Care Quality Commission (CQC) ****Update****

Care Quality Commission (CQC) ****Update****

Hi Everyone

Over the past few weeks I have been involved in the Care Quality Commissions first consultation on their enforcement policies. ( The Care Quality Commission was established by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to regulate the quality of health and social care and look after the interests of people detained under the Mental Health Act.

It will bring together the work of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Healthcare Commission, and the Mental Health Act Commission. The new organisation will have around 2,500 staff with offices in London and across the English regions. The Care Quality Commission became a legal entity October 2008 and takes up its responsibilities for the quality of health and social care April 2009.

This was an in-depth consultation requiring the person to take part in a 2 week discussion on various scenarios that were sent daily to the participants and took about an hour daily with reading materials that also took on average 45 minutes daily.

My reasons for wanting to take part were twofold.

(1)
As the needs of people who use social care and health services, carers and their families have changed over the last decade, responsibility for social care and health services has come together. We see this across the country at local level as healthcare providers and local authorities bring their services together. Now the Care Quality Commission will be the first opportunity to bring these functions together under one independent regulator. This will bring huge benefits:
Giving people using services, their carers and families one port of call for information on standards, safety and available provision. Bringing together the best inspection and regulation methods, combining intelligence systems and statistical analysis with on-the-ground inspection and the views and verdicts of people who use health and social care services and the staff that work in health and social care. Giving an independent, authoritative view on the contribution that care makes to preventing illness and promoting ongoing healthy, independent living and wellbeing.


(2)
In August of last year I had the privilege to meet one to one with Baroness Young of Old Scone who is to be the chair of the new commission and after meeting with her, and being enthused by her passion for equality of good services for all, dignity in care, remembering individuality and positive thinking of ways in which there should be user involvement (not in a tokenistic way), I wanted to be part of this new way of working, from the very beginning.
A report on this work has now been produced and is attached.
There is to be another consultation starting from 12th March on their statement of involvement policy (user Involvement). Their inviting users of services or people representing the user’s views (I come into both categories, as a user of services and hopefully can, through meeting with you all, and being elected as your co-chair).

Part of the email, sent to me that can be seen below explains what is required of me. The statement of involvement will form part of CQC’s strategic plan. We want to get responses both on the statement overall and also some specific elements. We would like to invite you to help us design the statement of involvement in preparation for the formal consultation during the summer 2009.

The reason for this letter is to keep you updated on developments and keep you abreast with what I am doing.

If there are specific issues for instance ideas round how CQC should engage with service users that you think I should input into this strategy please email me through enquries@dpun.org.uk or telephone 01245 382288.


Regards
Dee Frost Co- Chair Direct Payments User Network



Part reproduced from care quality commission
CQC Enforcement Policy Summary report.doc

www.cqc.org.uk

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