The Department of Health has launched a public consultation setting out proposals to extend the types of providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that it is able to rate following inspection.
At the moment, the CQC rates NHS trusts (including its hospitals and core services), general practices, care homes, hospices, home care and other types of community adult social care, and private hospitals.
Ratings for services
While CQC already inspects and publishes reports for these services, the Department of Health’s proposals will include expanding CQC’s ability to award ratings of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate to providers of the following:
- Independent Community Health Service Providers
- Cosmetic Surgery Providers
- Independent ambulance services
- Independent dialysis units
- Refractive eye surgery providers
- Substance misuse centres
- Termination of pregnancy services
Continued transparency
Professor Edward Baker, deputy chief inspector of hospitals at CQC, said:
“Our ratings of NHS trusts, general practices, independent hospitals, and adult social care services are supporting providers to improve and importantly, helping people to make informed choices about their care.
“Through our ratings of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, never before has the public had such clear and accessible information about the quality and safety of their services.
“The Department of Health’s consultation proposes to extend the types of services that we are able to award these ratings to in the interests of continued transparency and so that we can make sure people receive the safe, high-quality and compassionate care they deserve.
“Extending the scope of our ratings to cover these additional services would allow us to celebrate even more good and outstanding care that is out there and to help the public be even clearer on those services that need additional support to improve.”
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