CQC regulation is changing: What does this mean for you?
CQC regulation is changing: What does this mean for you?
The CQC is changing the way it regulates and the way it carries out assessments. This is a long process and the organisation is currently part way through implementing these changes. What does this mean for dental practices?
The overarching changes
- A new regulatory approach for health and care providers, integrated care systems and local authorities
- A new Regulatory Leadership team
- Restructuring the operational teams
- The new provider portal
What has happened so far?
Within the CQC, the organisation has begun to reorganise their organisational teams into new integrated assessment teams. They will continue to use the current assessment framework while undertaking training on the new assessment framework.
What’s coming next?
The new online provider portal will be launching in the summer of 2023. All of the CQC’s online interactions with providers will be on the portal from late 2023. Providers will be able to apply to register with the CQC and make changes to registration through the portal. Current providers will be notified individually when they’re able to sign up. This will be done in stages.
The portal has the potential to make regulation and inspection much simpler and easier as most requirements and reviews can be done online. This is therefore a welcome change.
The CQC will also start to carry out assessments using the new assessment framework from late 2023.
The new assessment framework
Quality ratings and five key questions will remain important within the new assessment approach. As you know the five key questions are: Is a care provider:
- Safe?
- Effective?
- Caring?
- Responsive?
- Well-led?
However, key lines of enquiry used to assess the above will be replaced with new ‘quality statements.’
The CQC has also developed six categories for the evidence they collect to show if the five key questions have been answered. These are:
- people’s experiences.
- feedback from staff and leaders.
- observations of care.
- feedback from partners.
- processes.
- outcomes of care.
For each quality statement, the CQC will determine which evidence they will need to collect. This will vary depending on the type of service.
During a recent webinar held by the CQC, we asked whether dental practices will be rated in the new system, as currently no ratings apply. The CQC confirmed that there will still be no rating system for dental practices but said this could change.
These changes are significant, but other than the online portal, it feels like change for the sake of change. The regulations that are the legal requirements care providers must abide by have not changed in any way.
Also the timelines for implementation may change. It is important to keep up to date on these changes and the requirements and expectations for dental practices.
If you would like advice on CQC regulation, please call the team on 0207 388 1658 or email at lawyers@jfhlaw.co.uk.
Katherine Hughes, Paralegal
Please note that the information contained in this article was correct at the time of writing. There may have been updates to the law since the article was written which may affect the information and advice given therein.
