CQC Compliance Quality Assurance
Care & Client Management

The CQC is the statutory regulator for the adult health and care sector in England, and is therefore responsible for the registration, inspection and promotion of quality care for adults in NHS, charitable and private hospitals, private, local authority or charitable care homes, and care or support delivered directly into a person’s own home.

In addition to this function which it inherited from its predecessors, the Care Quality Commission is carrying out the registration of Primary Dental care, Primary Medical services, and independent ambulance services. For the first time, some previously unregistered Supported Living services are also now required to register.

The Regulatory Landscape is Changing - We Can Help You Stay Current

The legislation which brought the CQC into being, and under which power they operate, is the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The detailed power of the Commission is set out in several Statutory Instruments issued by the Secretary of State, the most important being:

• The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010
• Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009
• The Care Quality Commission (Registration) Amendment Regulations 2010

Note that, because the Health and Social Care Act is enabling legislation and the details of registration and regulation is provided by a Statutory Instrument, the conditions for registration and the standards under which services are regulated may be changed at any time by the Secretary of State, without further reference to Parliamentary debate. And the CQC's inspection reports will be published online!

The CQC's Role and Aims

The function of the CQC is to regulate health and social care in England, whether that care or support is delivered in a hospital, a care home or in a person’s own home.

The Care Quality Commission has five priorities, which are:

• Ensuring care is person-centred and protects their rights
• Championing joined-up care
• Acting swiftly to eliminate poor quality care
• Promoting high quality care
• Regulating effectively, in partnership

The aim of the Care Quality Commission is to ensure that everyone receives better care and support, whether they receive it in a hospital, a care home, at home, or somewhere else. The vision of high quality health and social care is that the service:

• Supports people to live healthy and independent lives
• Helps people and their carers make informed choices about care; and
• Responds to individual needs.

CQC Compliance and Registration Criteria

Starting in 2010, the cornerstone of the regulatory activity of the CQC has been the new system of registrations. This is intended to ensure that regulated services meet essential standards of quality and safety, while respecting clients' dignity and rights. For more details please read our page about the essential CQC Outcomes that providers' are required to demonstrate in order to register.

We also offer a market-leading tool to assist care providers in completing and maintaining their provider compliance assessment (PCA) - the Care Quality Commission now strongly advises providers of care to start routinely using a Provider Compliance Assessment to help them in assessing your ongoing compliance. In some cases the CQC will insist that a care provider supply all, or part of a completed PCA, to aid them in their decision making process. You would then have 5 working days in which to supply the relevant section(s) of the PCA to the CQC.

Solve your Compliance Headaches Today!

It can be a full-time job to stay abreast of the changes in care sector legislation and understand the corresponding implications for your particular care service. The QCS System reduces the need for a dedicated in-house policy expert, since its system is structured and organized in such a way that staff can stay on top of current regulations, and be made aware of new ones as they arise.

Using the QCS system for your care plan, policy and procedure documentation helps staff and management to focus on the important business of providing a high quality of care.

Our system makes CQC Compliance easier and less time-consuming.

Plus, QCS is a trusted brand - our customer care team provide a supporting telephone service to help you with any enquiries you might have. So why not take a free trial today?