'Raising standards, putting people first' CQC strategy

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published its 3-year strategy, setting out some significant changes to the way it worked. The main changes outlined in the strategy included:

• the appointment of a chief inspector of hospitals; chief inspector of social care and support; and plans to consider the appointment of a chief inspector for primary and integrated care
• changing the way inspections were conducted by requiring inspectors to ask the following five questions about health and care services:
  • are they safe?
  • are they effective?
  • are they caring?
  • are they well led?
  • are they responsive to people's needs?
• the development of fundamental standards of care that would encompass the five questions above
• setting out what people should have a right to expect from services by publishing clearer information on the performance of care services for people to access and understand
• introducing a rigorous test for providers applying to register to provide care services.