25 June 2004
External inspection of NHS trusts is to be cut in order to lift the burden on frontline staff, the Healthcare Commission said this week.
The commission and nine other regulatory bodies have signed an agreement to co-ordinate external reviews, share data and reduce the number of inspections for trusts that are performing well. Signatories include the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the National Audit Office, the Audit Commission, and the Health and Safety Executive.
Healthcare Commission chief executive Anna Walker launched the concordat at the NHS Confederation annual conference in Birmingham on June 24.
'Inspections play a key role in ensuring patient safety, delivering value for money and driving improvement. We need to work together to achieve this aim,' she said.
'It is highly significant that for the first time the main inspecting bodies have got together and agreed to work to a set of objectives that will help reduce the burden on doctors and nurses providing frontline care.'
Early initiatives include the formation of a health and social care inspectorate discussion forum, reviews between the bodies, and a telephone hotline that chief executives can use to highlight concerns.
The signatories have also created an 'inspection gateway' to reduce the amount of requests for information from the NHS.
Audit Commission chief executive Steve Bundred added: 'This initiative will help regulators not only to reduce the burden on frontline staff, but also to focus on adding value and promoting improvement for patients and greater efficiency for taxpayers.' See cover feature, page 22
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