Trusts could get new CQC ratings without inspection

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) could regularly change its ratings of health and care providers without inspectors visiting them, under new plans from the watchdog.

The CQC has said it wants to “move away from using comprehensive, on-site inspection as the main way of updating ratings” and instead use other sources like data and feedback from the public, to update ratings more regularly.

At present — under the tough ratings regime introduced in 2014 in the wake of the Mid Staffs inquiry findings — it cannot change a provider’s score without carrying out a full inspection.

It said in a recently published consultation that inspections “will remain an important part of how we assess quality,” but this will mostly be through more “targeted” inspections linked to significant risks to people’s safety, and the rights of vulnerable people.

During the covid pandemic, CQC has targeted its on-site inspections at services where potential risks are identified, or where improvements are needed.

Professor Ted Baker, the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, told HSJ the regulator wanted to move away from its current “fairly rigid” timetable of inspections in favour of a more “flexible” approach.

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Source: HSJ, 2 February 2021