As the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is approaching completion of its 2016-21 strategy, it has launched a consultation for their strategy to cover 2021 and beyond.
Within the document, the CQC sets out how it plans to develop its approach in line with a changing health and care landscape, taking into account the context and learning seen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the development of system working and the greater use of digital technologies.
The CQC consultation builds along four key points of learning: people and communities, smarter regulation, safety through learning and accelerating improvement.
It also identified a need to transform and ensure its regulatory model is relevant and fit for purpose in an evolving situation.
The CQC strategy consultation was welcomed by NHS Providers, giving NHS trusts and organisations an opportunity to engage with the CQC’s ambitious proposals.
They offered their full support to the consultation, praising the CQC’s intentions to take a more proportionate and risk-based approach to regulation, and to minimise burden where possible, supporting trusts to drive their own improvement, as well as producing a detailed breakdown of the key points of interest from the consultation.
However, they equally raised some initial hesitation around the time the consultation fell at, with an emerging third wave of Covid-19 infections placing trusts around the country under unprecedented pressure which may impact on their ability to engage with the CQC plans.
