Leaders urge review of single-word CQC ratings after headteacher death

Trust chiefs have collectively called for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to review its use of single-word inspection ratings, following MPs’ calls for an overhaul of Ofsted ratings for schools.

In a report containing a series of recommendations for CQC reform, shared with HSJ, NHS Providers urges the regulator to re-evaluate the success of its single-word ratings, asking it to consider adding a narrative verdict as part of its new provider assessment reports.

The recommendation is made “in the context of the Ofsted inquiry findings” following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry by suicide, which a coroner ruled was contributed to by an Ofsted inspection. It prompted MPs on the Commons’ education committee to call for a ban on single-word Ofsted ratings.

The NHSP report said the inquiry’s concerns around inspectors’ behaviour, the complaints process, and single ratings can also be applied to CQC.

The report adds: “While we recognise the differences between the two regulators’ approaches, we believe now is the right time to take stock… for example, CQC may need to consider the value of its single-word ratings, modelled upon Ofsted’s rating system.

“As suggested by the Nuffield Trust and many trust leaders, a single-word rating will inevitably oversimplify what happens in a very complex organisation".

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Source: HSJ, 21 March 2024