The Care Quality Commission is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom.
Established in 2009, the role of the CQC is to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England.
The CQC carries out regular inspections of care providers, assessing how effectively establishments are running and providing care to its users. While inspections used to be carried out annually, since October 2014 the rules have changed.
Care establishments that have received a ‘good’ rating by the CQC will receive inspections at least once within 18 months, while those that are deemed ‘outstanding’ can expect an inspection within 2 years.
Inspections conducted by the CQC carry a lot of weight and those that are deemed to be ‘inadequate’ are likely to have action taken against them, so it’s important that care providers prepare themselves.
Produce evidence that you are meeting standards
Upon arrival at a care provider, the CQC inspectors will want to meet with senior members of the team. It is important that these individuals have produced some kind of evidence to demonstrate that standards are being met and maintained.
Compile the evidence that you already have, which may include polices, training records and copies of staff qualifications.
You could also think about developing an action plan to tackle some of the areas of difficulty that you may be underachieving in. Doing so demonstrates a desire to improve.
Ensure that staff members understand the role of CQC
Staff training should always take place prior to a CQC inspection to ensure that members understand the role of the CQC. Staff are legally responsible for their own CQC obligations and because of this they will need to be briefed about the standards laid out by the CQC and what the practice they work at is doing to meet them.
Consider the key areas the CQC inspectors will focus on
These tend to include things like infection control, staff recruitment, safety and engagement amongst other elements. If you have care practices near to you that have recently had an inspection, you may want to ask them what specific areas the CQC focused on when they visited.
Act natural
It’s no good encouraging staff to behave in a forced way that is not telling of the everyday life of a practice. Also, don’t be tempted to place too much importance on written procedures. The CQC inspector will be keen to see how well things pan out in practice and whether staff are adequately trained.
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