By Alex Klaushofer
The new regulator of health and social care services for England has promised to implement a tough enforcement regime as it opens for business this week.
The new regulator of health and social care services for England has promised to implement a tough enforcement regime as it opens for business this week.The Care Quality Commission, which brings together the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission, has the power to issue organisations with warnings and financial penalties. It can even withdraw their legal status as service providers if they fail to meet quality standards.
The regulator, chaired by Baroness Young, will use the existing powers held by the previous inspectorates and some aspects of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to take action in cases of healthcare-acquired infections.
CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower said: ‘We intend to take a firm but fair approach to enforcement and when we take up action we will always follow up that action to make sure that improvements are made.’
At the same time, the Department of Heath has published the framework that the CQC will use to regulate health and social care services from next year.
Under the new system, all health care and social service providers will be obliged to register with the CQC from 2010/11, demonstrating that their services meet a single set of requirements.
GPs and dentists, while being registered with their professional governing bodies, will also be required to register with the CQC, regardless of whether they work in the private or public sector, or a mixture of both.
Health minister Ben Bradshaw said: ‘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.’
The DoH has also launched this week a set of measures designed to improve the quality of patient care.
The measures include a performance framework that will allow for the removal of poor managers and appointment of new management, and the introduction of a simpler complaints system.
