CQC “failing to deliver”
Released 02/12/2011
The National Audit office reports that the CQC has “struggled” to meet its planned reviews since its creation two years ago
The report determined that nearly half (47%) of registrations by the CQC had not been completed on time
A report by the National Audit Office (NOA) indicates that the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) has not been successful in its regulation of care in the NHS.
Formed from three pre-existing regulators in 2009, the CQC is responsible for checking if hospitals and care homes meet minimum standards within the NHS.
The NAO stated in the report that the CQC “missed deadlines for registering health and social care providers, other than NHS trusts, at the same time as levels of compliance and inspection activity were falling significantly”.
The report determined that nearly half (47%) of registrations by the CQC had not been completed on time, that a further 47% of planned inspections were not carried out between October 2010- April 2011 and that four per cent of vacancies went unfilled as of 30 September 2011.
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office stated: "There is a gap between what the public and providers expect of the Care Quality Commission and what it can achieve as a regulator. The commission and the Department of Health should make clear what successful regulation of this critical sector would look like."
Margaret Hodge, chair of the public accounts committee, commented on the report: “There has been too much focus on box-ticking and not enough on crossing the threshold and assuring the quality of care.”
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