Updates for all providers
 Yellow triangle with exclamation mark in the centre, against a blue background
We have published our annual report on our work to enforce the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations in England in 2024/25. These regulations protect people from the dangers of being accidentally or unintentionally exposed to ionising radiation as part of their medical care.
The report shares the key findings from our inspection and enforcement activity between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, and provides a breakdown of the number and types of errors notified to CQC during this time.
There has been an increase in the annual number of accidental and unintended exposures that have been notified to us compared with last year. This might indicate a stronger patient safety culture in medical exposure to ionising radiation. In 2024/25, we received 842 notifications – a 3% increase over the previous year.
Read our press release for further information on the report and its findings.
 |
|
In a new blog post, Dr Arun Chopra, Chief Inspector of Mental Health, shares how CQC is working to improve outcomes for people using mental health services.
He outlines preparations for the forthcoming Mental Health Bill and describes how we’re developing a new assessment framework to support consistency across sectors. We will soon be launching a consultation to gather feedback on our proposals – keep an eye on our website for the latest updates.
|
This month, we published the results of the Adult Inpatient Survey 2024. This survey explores the experiences of people who stayed at least 1 night in hospital as an inpatient.
More than 62,000 people were asked to give their opinions on the care they received, including:
- the quality of information and communication with staff
- whether they were given enough privacy
- the amount of support given to help them eat and drink
- their discharge arrangements.
The survey results showed that patient satisfaction levels have slightly improved in the past year – more respondents rated their overall experience as 9 or 10 out of 10. However, the results still showed that many aspects of inpatient care are worse than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, and that long waiting times and barriers to accessing treatment continue to be a source of frustration.
|
 Photgraph of a medication box
We’ve updated 3 of our webpages on medicines information to reflect current best practice:
We encourage adult social care (ASC) providers to share these webpages with their teams, to help meet regulatory expectations and improve outcomes for people.
If you have any queries, please direct them to the medicines team, at medicines.enquiries@cqc.org.uk
 Photograph of a pair of reading glasses and a pen on top of an open notebook, with an open laptop in the background
Social care is at the heart of our communities, and no one understands its challenges and rewards better than those working within it. That’s why the Adult Social Care Workforce Survey needs your voice.
So far, only a small number of care workers, occupational therapists, and nursing professionals have taken part, but your experiences are vital. From staffing and training to wellbeing and working conditions, what you share can help shape how the sector is supported in the years to come.
Every response makes a difference. Your insight will contribute to a government report that will guide decisions on:
- funding for social care
- staffing and workforce planning
- training and development opportunities
- support for you and your profession.
Share the survey with your colleagues to ensure the voices of care workers, occupational therapists, and nursing professionals are heard loud and clear.
The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) helps people in England and Wales stay in control of decisions about their health and finances, by:
- registering lasting and enduring powers of attorney
- maintaining the registers of attorneys, deputies, and guardians
- supervising deputies and guardians appointed by the courts.
Organisations can use the View an LPA service to access a summary of a lasting power of attorney (LPA).
You can find out if someone has a registered attorney or deputy by searching OPG’s registers of LPAs, enduring powers of attorney, and deputy court orders. To do this, complete and submit an OPG100 form.
Concerns about how an attorney, deputy, or guardian is acting can be reported to OPG.
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is running a survey to gather views on its work and resources, and on how it operates. The survey results will be presented to NICE’s Board and will help to shape NICE’s work going forward. It takes around 15 minutes to complete the survey, and a screen reader-friendly version is also available. Please complete the survey by 5pm on 12 October. If you have any queries, please direct them to audienceinsight@nice.org.uk or yonder.help@yonderconsulting.com.
- Alzheimer’s Society has commissioned leading academics at Leeds Beckett University, alongside IFF Research, to carry out a study on dementia education and training in the ASC workforce across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. If you provide direct care for people living with dementia in a care home or home care setting, please take 5 minutes to share your experience of training by completing the online survey. The study ends in December.
- Health literacy – the ability to access, understand, and use health information – is a key factor in achieving health equity. To mark International Health Literacy Month this October, NHS England has partnered with the University of Southampton to launch a new geodata tool that estimates health literacy levels in local authority areas. This sits within a wider set of resources, including Misinformation UnMASKED, which supports the public to recognise health misinformation.
- The NHS England Knowledge and Library Services team is working with the Patient Information Forum (PIF) to launch a new interface for the PIF TICK directory – a searchable collection of health information materials that have been accredited for quality.
- The National Cyber Security Centre has published a range of resources to help providers to deliver safer, more secure care. This includes:
|
