The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates health and social care in England and this year it is making changes to how homes are inspected and rated. While the regulations are not changing, CQC’s approach to inspecting homes is.
At Achieve together we welcome this change because there is now a stronger focus by CQC on person-centred care. This aligns brilliantly with our own organisational values of Being brave, Having fun, Valuing everyone and Making things happen.
CQC will continue to observe the care environment, i.e. visit homes, but that is only one way they will gather information. They will now use ‘evidence’ categories that reflect feedback from people we support, families and friends. Evidence will also come from our team members and external partners we work with to inform their assessment. It’s great news that everyone has a voice when it comes to having a say about their experiences.
‘We’ and ‘I’ statements
It is now easier to understand what a person can expect from a provider of health and social care. CQC, with the help of people who use health and social care services, has translated regulations into ’We statements‘ and ’I statements’. This makes it more clear what people can expect from providers.
CQC is hoping this change will mean that ratings they provide can be updated more often to better reflect the ‘here and now’. They are also making their inspection reports easier to read.
At Achieve together we are preparing for this change by introducing new initiatives. For example, 87% of our 5000+ workforce have done training in preparation for the new approach. We are introducing new ways for our managers to document the amazing work our teams do with people we support and show how we improve outcomes for them. In consultation with Unity members, we are working to understand what this change means to people we support. Watch this space for more on that.
Additionally, we are working on making feedback easier to share with us so stay tuned for updates in this area.
