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“Significant internal failings” have been identified with the regulator responsible for the safety of health and social care services across England, with the health secretary declaring the watchdog “not fit for purpose”.
An independent review of the Care Quality Commission said these shortcomings were “hampering” CQC’s capacity to “identify poor performance” across public services such as hospitals and GPs.
A lack of clinical expertise was identified among the regulator’s inspectors, as well as a “lack of consistency” in its assessments, according to a damning interim report published on Friday.
Inspections were found to be “well below” levels at which they had been before the Covid-19 pandemic. Concerns around IT systems were also identified.
The “failings” mean the watchdog is “unable to consistently and effectively judge the quality of health and care services, including those in need of urgent improvement”, according to the report conducted by Penny Dash, who chairs the North West London Integrated Care Board.
The new UK health secretary Wes Streeting said he was “stunned by the extent of the failings” revealed by the review, commissioned in May by the previous Conservative government. A full report will be published later this year.
“It’s clear to me the CQC is not fit for purpose,” Streeting said on Friday. “We cannot wait to act on these findings, so I have ordered the publication of this interim report so action can begin immediately to improve regulation and ensure transparency for patients.”
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents health organisations across England, said: “Trust leaders will welcome this announcement. Based on their clear and consistent feedback, we have been calling for urgent reform of the CQC.”
In response to the interim review, Professor Sir Mike Richards, the former CQC chief inspector of hospitals, has been asked to review CQC’s assessment processes.
The CQC was established in 2009 to carry out inspections and regulate a number of health services, including hospitals, GP clinics and dental surgeries, as well as care homes and ambulances. However, concern exists over the regulator’s capacity to police the sector effectively.
Within hours of entering government earlier this month, Streeting declared the health service itself was “broken” and pledged reform across both health and social care.
The Department of Health and Social Care on Friday said CQC would be subject to “increased government oversight”, and would be asked regularly to provide updates on progress and ensure all of the report’s recommendations are adopted.
Dash said: “The contents of my interim report underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reform within the CQC.”
“Our ultimate goal is to build a robust, effective regulator that can support a sustainable and high-performing NHS and social care system which the general public deserves,” Dash added.