CQC update for adult social care providers

This bulletin was sent at 28-07-2022 10:09 AM BST

The independent regulator of health
and social care in England

CQC Update

A regular update for providers and professionals working in adult social care.

28 July 2022

Kate Terroni's latest column

The latest column from Kate Terroni, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care is now available in Care Home Professional.

Kate talks about the iPledge and how she continues to be inspired by care workers making a difference to people’s lives.

Kate also discusses our new strategy which is to regulate health and social care services through the eyes of people with lived experience.

Read the column

CQC and system oversight: have your say

Under the Health and Care Act, we have new responsibilities relating to the reviewing and assessing of local authorities and integrated care systems.

We have been engaging on our approach to system oversight and have received some valuable insight which has informed our methodology. We're keen to ensure as many people as possible have had the chance to comment on our approach. We're currently running a series of activities on our online participation platform, which is your opportunity to help shape our approach to this new area of regulation.

All activities are open until 14 August.

Have your say

DHSC update on the mandation of specific data items from 31 July Infection prevention and control in adult social care: COVID-19 supplement

The Health and Care Act received Royal Assent in April. It includes:

A provision for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to require information from all CQC-regulated providers which will go live from 31 July 2022, and
A provision to make enforcement regulations which will go live from November 2022.

On 14 July 2022, DHSC published a Notice setting out what information is required by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from CQC-regulated adult social care providers, under section 277A of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (as inserted by section 99 of the Health and Care Act 2022).

DHSC has also published guidance to support providers with this new requirement. The first set of monthly data is due by the end of 14 August 2022.

See the guidance

Proposed change to registration

We want to introduce a change to registration which will strengthen our ability to assess proposed services for people with a learning disability and autistic people against Right support, Right Care, Right Culture before the provision of specialist care, support or treatment commences.  

Please take a few minutes to read our proposal and complete a short survey with your feedback.

Feedback on CitizenLab

Developing the technology that will drive insight-driven regulation

In his latest blog Mark Sutton, CQC’s Chief Digital Officer, gives an update on all things technology, data and insight, one year since the launch of CQC’s new strategy.

Read the blog

Digitising social care fund

People at the Heart of Care was published in December 2021, announcing at least £150m funding to drive digitisation across the adult social care sector to improve the quality, safety and personalisation of care. 

Drawing on this investment, the Digitising Social Care programme, which is part of a joint Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England and Improvement unit within the NHS Transformation Directorate, announced in June, that they are making £25 million available to Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) in 2022/23 to support adult social care providers to adopt technologies that can transform care.

In England, all ICS can submit delivery plans to access funding. 

See Digital Social Care website

Watch CQC's latest webinars

Our latest webinars are now available to watch on our YouTube channel.

Walkthrough of CQC’s new regulatory approach, led by Tyson Hepple, Executive Director of Operations, is a detailed walkthrough of the new regulatory approach. We discuss what a year under the new single assessment framework might look like.
Local authority assurance and integrated care system oversight, led by Mary Cridge, Director of Adult Social Care and Mandy Williams, Director of Integration, Inequalities and Improvement and covers our latest thinking for this area of work.

Watch our webinars

Other news

Catch up on the latest news on how we’re transforming our approach to regulation.
We have updated our guidance around DBS checks for CQC registration and our wider DBS guidance. You can also find more information on fast track DBS checks from NHS Employers.

We are looking for developers and adopters of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and care and some data-driven technologies to help shape the development of an advice service.
DHSC has published the ‘Better Care Fund framework (BCF) 2022-23 ensuring greater join up of health, social care and housing services to help older people and those with complex needs and disabilities to live at home for longer’. 
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) has published a report, warning that the year ahead will be the ‘most challenging adult social care and the people needing and working in it have ever faced’. 
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a ‘call for evidence to ensure better access to health, education, social care and housing for people with Down's syndrome’
Healthwatch has issued new analysis, highlighting people’s experiences of healthcare communication. Healthwatch has found that over one in four respondents to their survey ‘(28%) – including people who are deaf, blind and with learning disabilities – said they had been refused help when requesting support to understand information about their healthcare’. This included information being provided in formats such as Braille, British Sign Language and easy read.

Community Integrated Care has developed a toolkit of tips and hacks to help the care sector through the energy crisis. The Taking Charge campaign is a special campaign to help people who work in social care, and the people they support, find ways to reduce their energy bills. There are a series of interactive workshops, fun videos that are accessible to people you support, an easy-read guide and printable activities.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a report into racial inequality in health and social care workplaces.
Researchers are looking for volunteers to join a care home safety measurement study.

Guidance and links

Find the latest information and guidance from CQC

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