CQC Registration: Welcome

Welcome

The first requirement of all providers of care, whether adult social care, dentists or general practitioners is to ensure that they are registered with the Care Quality Commission. It is a criminal offence to operate an unregistered care service. This is of special significance for all would-be start-up services, as navigating the registration requirements of the regulator can be a daunting undertaking.

To assist new businesses with the registration process, Quality Compliance Systems has created a CQC Registration Module that looks at providing you with all the policies, procedures and guidance you can possibly need to meet the essential requirements of registration.

The Essentials

Running a care service and getting registered means spending time thinking about the right policies and practices you need to introduce in order to become successfully compliant. The CQC Registration Module includes policies and procedures which look at the core areas of your business and compliance-related activities. They range across the following categories: Administration; CQC Compliance; Care Management; Health and Safety; Human Resources; Catering; Maintenance; and Quality Assurance.

Together these policies will form the basis of how your organisation will be run, enabling you to confidently complete your registration with the Care Quality Commission.

What are the CQC Outcomes?

Before registering with the CQC, it is essential that all new providers of care become familiar with what is referred to as the CQC Outcomes. These Outcomes are associated with each of the 28 regulations contained within the Essential Standards in Quality and Safety. The legal basis for these regulations can be found within the following legislation: Health and Social Care Act 2008; Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010; and the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. The aim of the outcomes is to ensure that service users receive a specific standard of care/service, and that the required quality and safety for a specific outcome is always being achieved. The service user is therefore at the heart of any care service being offered, and the outcomes seek to ensure that the specific service being offered never compromises the essential standards.

There are 16 key outcomes which must be met, whether you are a new provider or an existing provider of care. New providers must satisfy that they meet all of these 16 key outcomes in order to progress with their registration. They are blocked together under the following headings:

Involvement and Information

• Regulation 17: Respecting and involving service users
• Regulation 18: Consent to care and treatment

Personalised Care, Treatment and Support

• Regulation 9: Care and welfare of services users
• Regulation 14: Meeting nutritional needs
• Regulation 24: Cooperating with other providers

Safeguarding and Safety

• Regulation 11: Safeguarding service users from abuse
• Regulation 12: Cleanliness and infection control
• Regulation 13: Management of medicines
• Regulation 15: Safety and suitability of premises
• Regulation 16: Safety, availability and suitability of equipment

Suitability of Staffing

• Regulation 21: Requirements relating to workers
• Regulation 22: Staffing
• Regulation 23: Supporting workers

Quality and Management

• Regulation 10: Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision
• Regulation 19: Complaints
• Regulation 20: Records

Achieving Registration & Compliance

To demonstrate that you comply with the outcomes, you must produce evidence which supports your assertions that you have placed the positive experience of the service user at the heart of your service, with quality and safety being paramount. When completing your registration you will need to make declarations as to whether or not you are indeed complying with all the Outcomes and to what extent.

The simplest and easiest way to demonstrate compliance is to utilise policies and procedures which adhere to the outcome framework of the essential standards, and which are consistently being utilised and followed. This is where the QCS Registration Module can help you. Crammed full of important documents like the Statement of Purpose; Service User Contract; Service User Guide; Medications Policy; and the Health & Safety Training Policy, as well as many others, the Module has been specifically designed as a starter-pack with the new care business in mind.