Patients Association response to Care Quality Commission State of Care report
Today the Care Quality Commission published a review of health and social care in England. Drawing on the richest sources of information available, this is the first time that an independent regulator has looked simultaneously across both the health and social care sectors.
CQC's interim chair, Dame Jo Williams, said: "Overall, there have been steady improvements and it is really important to celebrate that. Successes have come in areas that really matter to people such as reducing hospital infection rates and helping people live independently at home. But we are mindful of the fact that pockets of poor practice remain. This must be addressed.
Director of the Patients Association Katherine Murphy said “The Care Quality Commission report confirms yet again that patients aren’t as safe as they should be and that the postcode lottery is as persistent as ever. It is a scandal that some providers are still not meeting essential standards of safety and quality. Many others are improving year on year, leaving little excusefor those failing to improve.
Despite messages to the contrary from the Department of Health we see patient safety is still not the top priority of the NHS. Year after year after year safeguarding, safety and workforce training continue to be areas of concern. Failings in these areas lead to avoidable serious harm and death. This means vulnerable children and adults not being protected from harm. This means patients waking up to find they’ve been seriously harmed by an error that could have been prevented. This means patients being cared for by staff who haven’t had mandatory training. It simply isn’t good enough.
We welcome the clear direction given in the report for the NHS and social care to start working more closely together and applaud those organisations highlighted as leading the way in this area. It is vital this approach becomes widespread if we are to make the most of increasingly restricted budgets and ensure users get a responsive service.
The report highlights the “major challenge” approaching. More than ever it’s crunch time for the NHS, the Department of Health and the CQC. The CQC must deliver for patients and make use of its powers to drive improvement. We welcome their commitment to be an active regulator, speaking to patients and inspecting care first hand. This is a desperately needed change. But they are only one piece of the jigsaw, all across the NHS those with a responsibility for protecting patients must deliver and they must be held to account when they don’t. We’re told the NHS is accountable to local people, we know it’s not. The next state of care report must tell us that real progress has been made and the reality matches the rhetoric for all patients.
To find out more and to download a copy of the report click the link below:
