It’s crunch time for the CQC

Dr Penny Dash has published her final findings into the Care Quality Commission (CQC), confirming the watchdog’s ‘significant failings’.

Sometimes, it’s the organisations that seem like they’re doing the most for sectors that screw up the most. This was evident when Dr. Penny Dash, chair of North West London Integrated Care Board (ICB), published her interim report into the CQC, the UK’s independent regulator of health and social care in England, in July.

The document exposed a number of major failings including low level inspections into health and acre establishments, a ‘lack of clinical expertise’ and a ‘lack of consistency’ in GP inspections. It’s fair to say the report’s findings sparked fury among health and care experts.

Today, Dr. Dash has published her final report into the watchdog, which was commissioned by the government, and it has cemented the company’s ‘poor performance’.

The report highlighted several critical issues, which include:

• Poor operational performance with the provider portal and regulatory platform
• Poor presentation of reports and a loss of credibility within the health and care sectors due to reduced sector expertise
• Concerns surrounding the Single Assessment Framework, including lack of clarity, inconsistency in care assessments and insufficient focus on outcomes and innovation
• Lack of transparency in rating calculations, often relying on outdated inspection data
• Missed opportunities to enhance the CQC’s role in improving quality across the health and care sector
• Concerns regarding CQC’s Integrated Care System assessments and opportunities to improve the CQC’s relationship with the Department of Health and Social Care

The review also identified areas for further examination, such as one-word ratings, CQC finances, and the wider regulatory landscape.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Martin Green OBE, chief executive officer of Care England, said: ‘Dr. Penny Dash’s report delivers a stark and unequivocal verdict: the CQC has failed in its core mission to uphold the quality and safety of care. This failure has not only jeopardised the well-being of those who rely on the system for essential support but has also let down the thousands of providers which deliver that care. The CQC’s inability to uphold the standards it was created to enforce has fundamentally undermined its credibility and eroded the trust placed in it by both the sector and the public.

‘Sir Julian Hartley will have the support of Care England and the entire sector in his new role, but he must act swiftly to re-establish credibility and trust. However, the responsibility to do this extends beyond the Chief Executive; the CQC Board must also take full accountability for the organisation’s failure. The sector demands immediate action to restore confidence, and decisive leadership is essential to rectify the situation and secure a better future for service users and care providers alike.’

‘Our message to the CQC is clear: work with us to rebuild a system that genuinely prioritises quality, safety, and trust,’ Professor Green continued. ‘This effort must include addressing internal shortcomings and engaging meaningfully with both care providers and service users alike to ensure their voices and concerns are not just heard but acted upon. Together, we can establish a regulatory environment that is transparent, supportive, and truly effective; restoring faith in the system and upholding the high standards of care that everyone deserves.’

Alongside exposing the CQC’s failings, the review also sets out seven key recommendations for improvement. These include:

• Urgently improve operational performance, fix the provider portal, and enhance report quality
• Rebuild expertise and relationships to restore credibility
• Revise the SAF with clear descriptors and a stronger focus on effectiveness, outcomes, and innovation
• Improve transparency in rating calculations
• Evolve local authority assessments
• Pause ICS assessments
• Strengthen sponsorship arrangements to ensure CQC provides accountable, efficient, and effective services

Professor Green added: ‘While it’s encouraging to see further reviews focusing on patient safety and quality, these must not become a reason to delay taking immediate action on the findings from today. The critical issues identified in this review are clear, and the CQC cannot afford to wait any longer to implement meaningful reforms. Immediate steps are needed to restore trust and ensure that both providers and service users are no longer left in limbo, and paying for services they are not receiving.’

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