Is CQC Working?

CQC Not WorkingWe’ve listened to the harrowing stories of our callers and heard your heartbreaking messages and we’re determined to continue in our quest to make your voices heard.

The Relatives & Residents Association has been calling on the government to make changes to the body responsible for regulating care homes for older people - The Care Quality Commission (CQC). 


                        We want to see:

        • An increase to the frequency of inspection to a minimum of two per care home per year;
        • Thorough and in-depth inspections that rigorously scrutinize for tell tale signs of good and bad care;
        • A friendly and approachable regulator which listens to and acts upon individual complaints about care.

          Follow the chronology and links below to see what we've been doing
          to achieve the changes we're calling for

19 March 2013

CQC's Latest Report on Dignity and Nutrition Published

Between April and October last year, a multi-disciplinary CQC team inspected 500 care homes and 50 hospitals.  It showed that the vast majority of homes are meeting the standards for privacy and dignity and residents' nutritional needs.

However, in one in six homes (17%), people were not being supported to eat and drink enough or respecting the dignity or privacy of residents. The report also revealed that in the same percentage of homes, residents were not being spoken to appropriately or given choices.

 

...R&RA hears from far too many relatives that they feel the need
to help their partner/parents to eat or drink...

 

Read R&RA full response here
See CQC's Dignity and Nutrition Report here

 

 

 

9 January 2013

Care Quality Commission not yet successfully defined its core purpose
or earned public confidence 

A report published today by the Health Select Committee (HSC) following last year's accountability hearing with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has indicated that despite sustained criticism over a prolonged period the regulator has not yet successfully defined its core purpose or earned public confidence.

    The report has concluded that ...CQC's primary focus should be on ensuring that the essential standards it enforces can be interpreted by the public as a guarantee of acceptable standards in care...

    Earlier last year R&RA submitted its evidence to the Health Select Committee accountability hearing stating ...R&RA is deeply concerned that CQC as an organisation is viewed as lacking in expertise and capability and is not viewed as an authoritative body on what represents good quality care in care homes...

     The subsequent Health Select Committee report made numerous references to the charity's submission. 

     ...We saw it coming and we said it first. The Health Select Committee has vindicated and reinforced our call for urgent and major changes in CQC... 
 

Read R&RA's response to today's Health Select Committee report here 
Read R&RA's submission to Health Select Committee hearing here
Read HSC report: 2012 Accountability Hearing with the Care Quality Commission here