The independent regulator of health
and social care in England

CQC Update

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

New guidance: Evidence categories

We’ve recently published the first pieces of new guidance about the types of evidence we'll look for as part of assessing each quality statement in our new assessment framework. We're sharing this now, so you have time to read and understand it, as well as telling us whether it works for you. We have grouped different types of evidence under 6 evidence categories. Each category sets out the types of evidence we will look at to understand: the quality of care being delivered the performance against each quality statement. This is to make our judgements more transparent and consistent. We will make clear what we look at in our assessments, by setting out the evidence categories that we’ll focus on for each quality statement. Please tell us whether the guidance works for you. Log into Citizenlab to share your views. You can read more about our ongoing transformation plans on our website.

Webinar: Introducing quality statements and evidence categories

In this webinar, the next instalment in our transformation series, we'll introduce our quality statements and evidence categories, and the role they play in our new regulatory approach. The webinar is on Thursday 12 October from 3.30 - 4.30pm. Alongside the full provider guidance, this webinar will give you the information you need to understand the evidence we’ll use to assess each of our new quality statements. You’ll need to register before 12pm on Thursday 12 October. If you can’t make it, you can watch or listen back to it when it is posted to our YouTube channel. We'll let you know when it's available.

Mark Sutton from CQC on Digital Social Care Records

A screenshot of Mark sutton with text on the righthand side that reads: Mark Sutton, Chief Digital and Data Officer, CQC.

Our Chief Digital and Data Officer, Mark Sutton, talks in this new video about Digital Social Care Records and why we're championing their introduction across the adult social care sector in England.

How we are testing our approach to integrated care system assessments

A series of different coloured boxes linked together, each box with the outline of a person within.

We previously confirmed that the 2 integrated care systems (ICSs) where we are piloting our new assessments are.

• Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System
• Dorset Integrated Care System

The assessment process has now started, and each pilot system has received a request for information from us. This is so we can collect the evidence that we need to review. As part of our assessment, we are speaking directly with people using health and care services and with staff working in the ICS about their experiences.

We will also carry out on-site interviews for each ICS in the pilot. Specialist advisors and executive reviewers, who are experts in different health and care sectors, will be part of the team carrying out the assessments.

During the pilots, we will be testing our assessment methods, including how we: 

• work with partners and stakeholders, including NHS England
• use feedback from providers and people using services
• involve Experts by Experience effectively in our assessments
• use our tools and methods, including the information return
• enable efficient ways of working

For each of the pilots, we want to look at:

• how leadership works
• whether systems are integrated
• progress towards reducing inequalities
• how quality and safety is managed across local services.

We will provide a report of the findings from the assessment for each ICS in the pilot. However, the Department of Health and Social Care has agreed that we should not generate ratings for these pilots.

We will complete a full evaluation of the pilot assessments and incorporate our learning into our formal assessments which will start in 2024.

Our approach to formal assessments may be subject to further government approval, as required by the Health and Care Act 2022. 

Planning for the coming winter

Photograph of a hospital road sign that reads from the top: Accident & Emergency (below) Out of Hours Service

“We want to help organisations understand where they need to focus. We’re not doing this to be punitive or catch people out. We’re doing it so organisations can have a better appreciation of areas they may need to focus on so that people get good quality, safe care. We want to be able to help providers to pinpoint the key issues – some of which aren’t always immediately obvious — so they can direct efforts to where they are needed most”. — Dr Sean O'Kelly

We know winter is one of the most difficult times of year for the health and care system.
We speak to Dr Sean O’Kelly, Chief Inspector of Healthcare, and Dr Prem Premachandran, Emergency Medicine Consultant, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust and CQC National Professional Advisor – Urgent and Emergency Care, about some of the challenges and the role of the regulator in encouraging system working and maintaining standards of quality.

Participate In Research: Medicines sustainability

Animation of a person with glasses holding a laptop with chemical bottles and green leaves in the background

Did you know that health and social care services produce around 5% of all carbon dioxide in the UK? The largest proportion of this comes from medicines and equipment. Medicines account for 25% of the NHS’s total carbon emissions. This includes all stages in medicines use, for example production, choice, prescribing, and waste disposal, so this impacts every service that uses medicines.

The CQC Medicines Optimisation Team has secured funding to conduct research and support providers, local systems, and businesses to drive innovation and to shape our regulatory approach to medicines sustainability.

Together, we can accelerate change to ensure the sustainable use of medicines and decrease the environmental impact of medicines use. Please take part in our short survey and support this research. Even if you are not actively working on this just now, we are keen to hear your views. The survey is open until 30 November 2023.

Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month. These webinars may help you review your digital arrangements and think about some less obvious risks.   Better Security, Better Care’s webinar, in partnership with the Homecare Association, explores how to minimise the impact of a cyber attack and the time it takes to recover from one. The session on 17 October 2023 will cover: Typical cyber-attacks and how to reduce the risk of falling victim to an attack The impact of a cyber-attack on social care services – with a particular focus on homecare Steps you can take to reduce the risk and impact National, regional, and local support for care providers, including the Data Security and Protection Toolkit and Better Security, Better Care.

Data Security and Protection Toolkit – new series of webinars

Their webinars will help you complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), whether that’s for the first time, or to review and update your existing listing. Competing the DSPT for the first time – 24 October 2023, 3-4pm Review and republish the DSPT – 31 October 2023, 3-4pm

Other news

• Bed rails are used extensively in hospitals, care homes and people’s own homes to reduce the risk of bed occupants falling out of bed and injuring themselves. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continue to receive reports of adverse incidents involving these devices, the most serious leading to injury and death. MHRA have published updated guidance on managing and using bed rails safely, aimed at anyone with responsibility for the provision, prescription, use, maintenance, and fitting of bed rails. It sets out best practice in the provision, prescription, use, maintenance, and fitting of bed rail. Updates reflect changes in devices and practices and learning from investigations of adverse incidents.
  
  
• The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is currently running a consultation to understand if the guidance for training on learning disability and autism is good enough. If you haven't already, please review the easy-read version of the Oliver McGowan draft code of practice consultation and respond before it closes on 11.59pm on 16 October 2023.
  
  
• The Care Provider Alliance are holding a learning summit which will explore how NHS, local authorities and adult social care providers are working together to expand and improve access to high quality step-down intermediate care. Book Delivering care closer to home: co-designing intermediate care - Wednesday 25 October 2023, 1.30 - 3 pm. 
  
  
• We recently featured on Community Care Inform's 'Learn on the Go' podcast, to talk about local authority assessment testing, our longer term approach and how we’re talking to front-line staff. Listen or watch today.
  
  
• Read the latest publications on Intermediate Care: 
  • National Health Service England – Intermediate Care Framework for Rehabilitation, Reablement and Recovery Following Hospital Discharge
  • National Care Forum— Blueprint for Effective Accommodation-Based Intermediate Care and Reablement

Guidance and links

• Read the latest Adult Social Care update from DHSC

• Find the latest information and guidance from CQC