DoH launches new Care Quality Commission

The Department of Health has announced the formation of a new framework to regulate the safety and quality of health and social care services. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) comes into effect on 1 April 2009 and replaces the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and the Mental Health Act Commission. The regulation of all health and social care providers will now be brought together under the ‘umbrella’ of the CQC and it will be illegal for unregistered providers to supply any health and social care services that it regulates.

All care providers, including hospitals, GPs and dental practices, must register with the commission and commit to providing a minimum standard of care and safety to their patients. For the first time, both public and private sector GPs and dentists must register with the new system, which will be introduced in 2010-11. However, NHS organisations such as primary care trusts must register by April 2009 to show compliance with the CQC’s requirements on health-associated infections. Health Minister Ben Bradshaw comments on the new system: ‘The same person may well receive care from both health and social care providers in a range of settings including at their GP surgery, community or residential settings, hospital or from a range of public or independent providers. 'This is the first time that one single registration framework will ensure that the health and adult social care services people receive will be safe and of a high quality regardless of which organisation is providing it.’

So far, the CQC has received a somewhat cautious welcome. The Alzheimer’s Society comments that it ‘...must provide independent assessment of the (National Dementia) Strategy’s impact and progress to ensure it transforms the lives of people and their carers.’ Meanwhile, Pete Sinden from the LocalGov [link to http://www.localgov.co.uk/index.cfm?method=news.detail&id=77025] website debates whether the new system will help to correct the existing imbalance in Government funding of the NHS and social services.