- 09/01/2013
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: News
On Wednesday 9 January 2013, the Health Select Committee of which Valerie Vaz MP, Walsall South, is a member, published its report “2012 Accountability Hearing with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)”. The report found that the CQC has not yet successfully defined its core purpose or earned public confidence.
Valerie Vaz MP said:
“The CQC’s primary focus should be to ensure that the public has confidence that its inspections provide an assurance of acceptable standards in care and patient safety. The committee did not consider that the CQC has yet succeeded in this objective.”
“The CQC needs to ensure that its inspections represent a challenging process which is designed to find service shortcomings where they exist, ensure, when appropriate that service providers address them rapidly, and report promptly both to providers and users of the service. The CQC also needs to show that it treats feedback from the public as free intelligence and that it acts swiftly when serious complaints are brought to light this way.”
“The committee welcomed the fact that the CQC has undertaken a consultation exercise about its key objectives; the committee also recommend that, before our accountability hearings take place in 2013, the CQC should undertake an open consultation designed to develop a clearer understanding of effective regulatory method, including consulting on how inspectors should assess the culture which prevails amongst professional staff within individual care providers.”
“The CQC must, as a matter of urgency, overhaul its governance structures to ensure the Board sets clear objectives for the organisation, holds the executive effectively to account against these objectives, and regularly assess its own performance and effectiveness.”
The Health Select Committee’s Seventh Report, ‘2012 accountability hearing with the Care Quality Commission’, is available here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmhealth/592/59202.htm