Overview of the New Interim Guidance
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released interim guidance on their approach to assessing integrated care systems (ICS). This guidance aims to provide an independent assurance of the quality of care in local areas, focusing on how services work together within these systems. The key themes of this assessment include Quality and Safety, Integration, and Leadership.
Key Points from the Guidance
- Single Assessment Framework: The CQC will apply its new regulatory model and single assessment framework across all health and care sectors. This includes using a subset of quality statements to assess ICS.
- People’s Experiences: Central to the new framework is the focus on people’s experiences. This involves gathering feedback from service users and their families, emphasizing lived experiences, and ensuring these voices are prominently considered in the assessment process.
- Baseline and Ongoing Assessments: Initial baseline assessments will establish a foundational understanding of the quality within each ICS. These will be followed by ongoing assessments to ensure continuous monitoring and improvement.
- Collaboration with Partners: The CQC will collaborate with national and local partners, including NHS England, to share data and gather evidence, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of each ICS.
- Scoring and Ratings: A new scoring framework will support consistent judgments, where each quality statement is assessed and scored. These scores will aggregate to produce overall ratings for each ICS.
- Intervention and Improvement: Post-assessment, system partners are expected to come together to address findings, develop action plans, and drive improvements.
Our View as Cura Compliance
As experts in CQC compliance, we at Cura Compliance recognize the importance of this interim guidance in driving improvements across integrated care systems. The emphasis on people’s experiences aligns well with our core values of patient-centered care. However, the transition to this new assessment model will require significant adaptation from ICS leaders and staff. The collaboration between CQC, NHS England, and other partners will be crucial in ensuring these assessments are both comprehensive and effective.
One potential challenge we foresee is the integration of diverse feedback sources into a cohesive assessment framework. The CQC’s commitment to valuing people’s experiences equally with other evidence sources is commendable, but it will necessitate robust mechanisms to analyze and respond to this data effectively.
Recommendations for CQC Providers
To ensure compliance with these new requirements, we recommend the following actions for CQC providers:
- Understand the New Framework: Familiarize yourself with the new quality statements and evidence categories. This includes understanding how people’s experiences will be integrated into the assessments.
- Collect and Analyze Feedback: Implement systems to regularly collect and analyze feedback from service users, their families, and staff. This feedback should be used to inform continuous improvement efforts.
- Collaborate Effectively: Work closely with other providers, local authorities, and partners to ensure a coordinated approach to care. This collaboration is essential for meeting the integration and leadership requirements.
- Prepare for Baseline Assessments: Ensure your organization is ready for the initial baseline assessments. This involves having the necessary evidence and documentation in place to demonstrate compliance with the new standards.
- Develop Action Plans: Post-assessment, develop comprehensive action plans to address any areas for improvement identified by the CQC. Engage with all stakeholders to ensure these plans are effectively implemented.
Support from Cura Compliance
At Cura Compliance, we offer extensive support to our clients navigating these new CQC assessment processes. Our services include:
- Assessment Preparation: Helping organizations understand the new quality statements and evidence categories, and prepare for initial baseline assessments.
- Feedback Integration: Assisting in the collection and integration of people’s experiences and feedback into your care delivery models.
- Action Planning: Supporting the development of action plans post-assessment to address identified areas for improvement.
- Ongoing Compliance: Providing ongoing support to ensure continuous compliance with CQC standards and preparation for future assessments.
Conclusion
The CQC’s interim guidance marks a significant shift in the assessment of integrated care systems, focusing on collaboration, quality, and patient experiences. As consultants, Cura Compliance is here to support your organization through this transition, ensuring you meet these new standards and continue to provide high-quality, integrated care.
If you need assistance or have any questions about the new CQC assessment framework, please do not hesitate to contact us.
For more detailed information and to download the full interim guidance, visit the CQC website here.