The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released its detailed draft guidance on two essential components: quality statements and key evidence categories. This draft guidance is required reading for all CQC- regulated providers. This detailed guidance (which can be downloaded in full or in part as a PDF document here Our new approach to assessment - Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)) is required reading for all CQC registered providers.
Quality statements outline the standards that providers should strive for in delivering high-quality, person-centred care and are mapped to a ‘good’ rating. The CQC will publish a minimum set of priority quality statements tailored to different sectors to serve as the foundation for future assessments.
The key evidence categories aim to make the assessment process more transparent and consistent. There are six categories: people's experience of health and care services, feedback from staff and leaders, feedback from partners, observation, processes, and outcomes. These categories replace the previous Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) and prompts, streamlining the process and reducing duplication. The number of categories and sources of evidence will vary based on the type of service, assessment level, and whether it's for an existing service or first registration. The CQC is seeking feedback from providers to improve this draft guidance.
Key Takeaways
- The introduction of the new Single Assessment Framework marks a significant shift in healthcare regulation, and further details, including guidance for independent health and care providers and the CQC's new scoring approach, are expected to be published soon.
- The devil is in the detail: it is crucial that providers familiarise themselves with how the draft proposals will apply to their service and sector.
- The CQC has requested feedback from providers in order to improve the content – and to determine the level of detail – that will be included in the final guidance.
- This call to action represents a rare opportunity to help shape the guidance so that it gives providers the information they will need to prepare for assessments, and crucially, to align their quality assurance processes with the new framework.
Read our first blog on the CQC’s framework Winter is Coming: CQC’s Game Changing Strategy.
