The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has now implemented its new Single Assessment Framework for, including, GP surgeries. Are you ready and prepared for the changes and for CQC inspections under the new Single Assessment Framework?
We look at the changes and what GP surgeries could do to adapt their business to align with the new inspection framework.
First, an overview of the CQC’s new Single Assessment Framework.
CQC’s new Single Assessment Framework
The CQC has made changes to the way it checks, for example, GP surgeries, under the new assessment framework.
The CQC are still using a ‘rating’ or score as before, and it will continue to consider 5 key questions. The biggest change is that, under each question, there is now a set of quality statements (that we will look at in more detail later).
Key Questions
The key questions are the things the CQC asks all health and social care services considering whether their services are:
- Are services safe?
- Are services effective?, which means, do services do their job well?
- Are services caring?, which means do services support and respect people?
- Are services responsive?, which means, do services meet people’s needs?
- Are services well-led?, which means do managers run services well?
Quality statements
The biggest change is the removal of the Key Lines of Enquiry Prompts (KLOE’s) which have been replaced by 34 Quality ‘We’ statements “to show the views of real people”. A main difference is the way evidence is continuously being collected, which must be specific to each quality statement.
The CQC explains that:
“The ‘I statements’ say what things are important to people about the care and support they get from services, and what people should expect from them. The ‘quality statements’ say what services should be doing to give good care and support to people.”
In simple terms, Quality Statements are the obligations that you need to achieve. These “we statements” demonstrate what’s required to meet the 5 “key questions” that form the foundation of the inspection framework.
Are you ready?
Before looking at specific things you can do to prepare for the new assessment framework, it should be remembered that CQC ratings can be changed without a site visit as remote assessments will be in addition to inspections in person. The CQC will work as an “always on” data monitoring approach, which has moved away from scheduled inspections and aims to be more flexible and responsive to changes in quality and safety within services.
- Keep up to date on the changes to CQC guidance making sure staff are familiar with what to expect from a CQC inspection.
- Inspections are not linked to ratings so providing accurate records is crucial for continuous assessments.
- Assess your current processes to identify any gaps and ensure they meet the new quality statements and develop new evidence for the new categories. Specifically, link the current KLOE prompts to the new Quality Statements.
- Provide staff training on the new assessment framework and what to expect from inspections, including how to interact with inspectors with confidence.
- There are a number of things you can proactively do before an inspection, including mock inspections, training and a compliance audit.
What Kings View Resolutions can do for you
We can help. We understand that regulations and compliance can often leave health and social care businesses and organisations feeling lost and confused. We also understand that regulatory allegations and investigations can have a significant impact on a business and its reputation.
We specialise in health and social care. With over 30 years’ combined experience in the sector, we have a leading understanding of the rules and requirements placed on health and social care businesses and organisations by health and social care regulators.
Our experience means we can support and advise clients on a wide range of complex regulatory issues in a sensitive and timely manner.
We pride ourselves in taking a hand’s on, practical and pragmatic approach to our work, assisting and advising clients throughout the entire process. Backed by our experience and expert knowledge, our clients can be confident they have the best in the business supporting, advising and representing them in all areas of their business’ regulations and compliance matters.
We take a collaborative approach, seeking the best outcomes for our clients. Where this is not possible, we will robustly defend our clients in court or before the entire breadth of other regulatory hearings and tribunals.
Our Services
Disclaimer: This article is for guidance purposes only. Kings View Chambers accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any action taken, or not taken, in relation to this article. You should seek the appropriate legal advice having regard to your own particular circumstances.
