Government announces review of patient safety
Patient safety across health and social care is set to be bolstered as the government takes action to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of key patient safety organisations.
The move – aimed at ensuring the country has the best system in place to keep patients safe – comes as a major review of the CQC’s operational effectiveness is published in full.
The report, led by Dr Penny Dash, Chair of the North West London Integrated Care Board, identifies significant internal failings at the regulator which are hampering its ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care homes, and GP practices.
Its interim conclusions, published in July, prompted the Health and Social Care Secretary to order immediate action to restore public confidence in the effectiveness of health and social care regulation.
The full report confirms significant failings at the CQC in regard to its operational effectiveness - including poor performance in relation to inspections and a lack of capacity and capability to deliver improvements.
The report provides seven specific recommendations for improvement, which the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care fully supports. This includes recommending that the CQC formally pauses the implementation of its assessments of Integrated Care Systems as it works to restore public confidence in health and care regulation. This will allow the CQC to focus on getting the basics right when assessing the organisations it regulates.
The Health and Social Care Secretary has now asked Dr Dash to conduct two further reviews moving her focus from operational effectiveness to patient safety and quality. The first review will examine the roles and remits of six key organisations and make recommendations on whether patient safety could be bolstered through a different approach. These are:
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) including the maternity programme (MNSI)
- National Guardian’s Office (NGO)
- Healthwatch England (HWE) and the Local Healthwatch (LHW) network.
- Health Services Safety Investigation Body
- Patient Safety Commissioner
- NHS Resolution (quality and safety functions only)
A further review will focus on quality and its governance. This will guide the government’s next steps as it continues its drive for positive cultural change across health and social care.
All findings will also inform the government’s 10-Year Health Plan to transform the NHS and social care and make them fit for the future.
