Extending Choice of Provider - a message from the DofH

A message from the DThe NHS is facing a period of significant transition and financial challenge. But this is not a reason to delay action to address patient demands for greater choice and control, especially where there are clear improvements in outcomes to be gained.

Examples of your work with CQC

Mike Vials at the Carers Federation is the LINks deputy operations manager working with several LINks. He has developed a diagram showing how LINks and then local HealthWatch sit in the new local landscape of health and social care, along with CQC and HealthWatch England. If you are interested in this work, please contact m.vials@carersfederation.co.uk

HealthWatch update

Following the Government's response to the NHS Future Forum report on the Health and Social Care Bill, we can confirm that the date for establishing HealthWatch England and Local HealthWatch has been pushed back to 1 October 2012. The Government response to the NHS Future Forum listening exercise was published on 20 June. Click here to view the document.

CQC and LINks annual reports

We know that you are completing your Annual Reports for 2010/11. It is very helpful if you can share these with you local CQC compliance inspector/ Manager and also send us a copy to involvement.edhr@cqc.org.uk . We will use any information in the reports that tells us whether services are meeting our essential standards of quality and safety.

CQC LINks advisory group

Thanks to all those LINks who attended our recent LINks advisory group in Manchester on Tuesday 28th June.

Guide for LINks and tools for working with CQC

We have published our guide for LINks about working with CQC. It tells you more about what we do, how you can share information with us, and provides examples of how some LINks work with CQC. Electronic copies were sent to your LINk on 20^th June, printed copies will be sent out to each LINk in mid-July. You will be able to download the report from www.cqc.org.uk/localvoices. There will be an extended web report which contains more examples of how some LINks have worked with CQC, you can also download this from www.cqc.org.uk/localvoices . We will be monitoring the demand of printed copies and will print more copies if necessary.  We welcome your feedback on the guide, and whether there is more information you would find useful. You can email any comments on the guide to involvement.edhr@cqc.org.uk

Source - CQC!

Consultation on GP registration

The Department of Health has published a consultation on a proposal to change the timing of the registration of GP practices from April 2012 to April 2013. CQC has asked the Department of Health for more time to make sure our monitoring systems work well in the sectors we already regulate, and that GP registration is more closely aligned with other accreditation schemes.


More details on the consultation, and how to participate, can be found on the Department of Health website here. The consultation closes on the 29th July.
 
Source:- DoH

The next steps in our registration programme – GP out-of-hours services and walk-in centres

We will be registering NHS GP out-of-hours services and NHS walk-in centres by April 2012. You can start sharing any information you have about the quality and safety of these services with us from now.

Dignity and nutrition inspection programme update

We informed you about our dignity and nutrition inspections in our last bulletin. We have run a targeted inspection programme of 100 NHS hospitals looking at whether older people are treated with respect and how they are helped with food and drink when they need it.

Review of Learning Disability Services

The BBC's Panorama programme (Tuesday 31 May) highlighted serious abuse and appalling standards of care at Winterbourne View, a private hospital for people with learning disabilities. Winterbourne View, the hospital featured in the recent Panorama programme, has closed. New accommodation has been found for all the hospital’s patients, here is an update. You can also see our response and procedure on how to share you concerns and complaints

CQC under fire from MPs over vacancies

The Care Quality Commission has come under fire for failing to recruit inspectors despite asking the Department of Health for an extra £15m to investigate problems more thoroughly.

CQC chair Dame Jo Williams told the Commons health committee last week that the regulator’s budget needed a 10 per cent boost to ensure breaches in compliance standards were spotted.The CQC had about 350 unfilled vacancies, of which 121 were for inspectors.Committee chair Stephen Dorrell added: “Can you not understand people might think this is a more urgent priority than the registration of dentists and that there’s a problem of priorities within the CQC?”

Inspection prompts major concerns over cleanliness at Merseyside nursing home



Ashley Manor


















MAJOR concerns were today raised about care and cleanliness at a Merseyside nursing home.
Ashley Manor in Waterloo has launched an action plan after a negative Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.