CQC launches new essential standards of care

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have introduced five new essential standards of quality and safety and important changes to the way in which NHS hospitals are regulated. They have published a guide to the new standards and are inviting people to share their own experiences.

A new law has been introduced which means that each NHS trust is now legally responsible for ensuring that it meets the new standards. The CQC will grant a license to health care services if they are found to be meeting the essential standard of quality and safety and will then monitor them to ensure they maintain compliance.

The first new standard relates to patients’ involvement in their care. The regulator has stated that people should be fully involved in discussions about their care and treatment and that NHS staff should respect the patient’s privacy, dignity and independence.

The second standard dictates that patients should be assessed so that they are given care which is safe, co-ordinated and which supports their personal needs and rights. The third standard is directly related to safety. Patients should be protected from abuse, kept safe from infection, receive the medicines that they need at the right time and in a safe way and be cared for in a safe, accessible environment.

The fourth essential standard of quality and safety states that all patients should be cared for by suitably qualified staff who are well managed and are given ample opportunity to develop and enhance their skills.

Perry Leeks, Operations Director at First Response, says: “This fourth standard relates directly to training. The CQC have offered guidance that suggests that they would like to see hospital staff put on individual training plans and for hospitals to have sufficient staffing levels to enable employees to attend training days. Training is perhaps the most important factor in delivering a safe, high quality service so it is no surprise that it has been included by the CQC in their new essential standards.”

The fifth and final standard is about self-assessment. The CQC have said that healthcare providers should continuously monitor the standard of the service they provide. When it comes to assessing compliance with the new standards, the regulator has said that they will be looking directly at patient care rather than systems and processes. They also want to know about patient experiences and to give the public a bigger input into the way decisions are made. The CQC will have a wide range of powers to act if they find a hospital which is failing to meet the standards.

First Response Training offers a wide range of training for the healthcare sector. We provide courses in the mandatory subjects, such as infection control and first aid, but our diverse portfolio also covers more specialist subjects and professional development type courses, such as Person Centred Care, End of Life Care and Managing Challenging Behaviour.

Perry Leeks adds: “For workers in the care sector, good quality training can enable them to improve, and in some cases save, people’s lives. It is important that it doesn’t get side-stepped and that’s why at First Response we are pleased that CQC have put it firmly on the agenda for hospitals.”

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