CQC update for healthcare professionals

This bulletin was sent at 30-08-2024 10:09 AM BST

The independent regulator of health
and social care in England

Update from CQC

30 August 2024

A regular update for providers and professionals working in healthcare services

Update on how CQC is improving the way we work

Latest updates on paper tab

Read the latest message from Kate Terroni our Interim Chief Executive as she updates you on the steps we have taken to rebuilding your trust in CQC.

This is the first of a series of regular updates on the progress we’re making in delivering these priorities.

Read the full message

Final part of our special review of mental health services at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust published

Following the conviction of Valdo Calocane in January 2024 for the killings of Ian Coates, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP, former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned us to carry out a rapid review of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT).

We looked at areas 2 and 3 in a report published earlier this year.

Our review looking at area 1 has now also been published.
This review finds that there appear to have been a series of errors, omissions, and misjudgements in Valdo Calocane's care. Key among these were:

Inconsistent approaches to risk assessment
Poor care planning and engagement
The decision to discharge Valdo Calocane back to his GP in September 2022.

The review also found that if the decision had been made to treat Valdo Calocane under section 3 of the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983 on his fourth admission to hospital further options would have been available for his care and treatment in the community.

Read the press release

Read the report

Adult inpatient survey 2023

This survey looks at the experiences of individuals who spent at least one night as inpatients in a hospital. Participants were eligible for the survey if they were 16 years or older and had a hospital stay of at least one night in November 2023.

Results indicate that people’s experiences with inpatient care have deteriorated since 2020. The 2023 survey results are generally consistent with those from 2022 and 2021, following significant declines in nearly all questions in the 2021 survey compared to 2020.

Find out more

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Learning from your experiences

Disclosure & barring service logo

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is committed to gaining insights into the customer experience by undertaking customer research. Learning about your experiences with DBS is essential to this, and will help them to understand what works well and what can be improved to develop a service that is efficient and suitable for all their customers.

To share your views and have your say, they would like to invite you to complete their Employer Survey. You can choose what feedback you would like to share by only answering the questions that are relevant to you. If you choose to answer all of the questions, it will take you up to 15 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions about this survey, please reach out to research@dbs.gov.uk

Take the survey

Window safety

Photograph of a pin with red tag against a plain blue background

Photograph of small red flag pin against a blue background

Falls from windows often result in serious or fatal injuries, but this harm is avoidable.

We want to ensure that providers are keeping people under their care safe. CQC have been alerted to an incident where a care home resident deliberately attempted to bypass a window restrictor on their first-floor bedroom window and, following a fall, sustained injuries that led to their death.

In 2022 we published a ‘learning from safety incidents’ issue on falls from windows. This publication has been updated on the CQC website to reflect a Health Building Note published by NHS England, which highlights that the British Standard for window restrictors does not factor in deliberate attempts to defeat the restrictor using impact forces. CQC expect providers and registered managers to be aware of and follow best practice guidance. Providers should also be proactive when carrying out person-centred risk assessment that is reflective of a person's individual circumstances and needs, as set out in Regulation 9 and Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

To manage the risk of falls to residents, registered persons need to ensure the assessment of the risks:

arising from the premises, and
for individual residents. Where specific residents are at risk, you may need to take further action to prevent them falling from a height.

The full ‘learning from safety incident’ with relevant best practice guidance can be accessed on the CQC website.

Read the 'Learning from safety incident' resource

Other news

A new FutureLearn online course published by NHS England supports general practice staff and patient participation groups to work effectively with people and communities to enhance primary care services. The course explores why diversity and inclusion is important and considers the different models available to undertake better engagement. To learn more and to hear from inspirational speakers share their experiences of working with people and communities to improve general practice, register for an introductory webinar on Wednesday 19 September 3:30pm – 4.30pm.
UKHSA and NHS England have been commissioned by Defra to jointly provide Government with a Fourth Health and Climate Adaptation Report. This report, an update to the previous third health adaptation report published in 2021, will summarise the latest available evidence relating to climate impacts to the health service and population health, and outline actions being taken by various actors to build resilience to these risks. The findings will inform the forthcoming fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment. Fourth health and climate adaptation report: call for evidence, summer 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). There is a survey to complete on-line and also a call to submit any case study evidence. Deadline for submission is 27 September.
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