Forty per cent of social care and health businesses say they feel unprepared for the CQC’s newly revised single assessment framework.
Only six per cent of those surveyed by employment law, HR and health and safety specialists WorkNest and sister company Care 4 Quality said they have the right training and processes in place, despite the changes being implemented across all providers by Spring 2024.
The CQC’s new strategy, which started rolling out in November with early adopters in the South of England, seeks to bring all health and social care providers under one single framework to provide more consistency across services.
The four key changes are a quality statement replacing key lines of enquiry (KLOEs), ratings with a new scoring element, amends to evidence categories, and frequency of inspections.
According to the research, the aspects of the new single assessment respondents feel least confident about are:
- Introduction of evidence categories (24 per cent)
- Online portal development (22 per cent)
- Introduction of a scoring system for ratings (21 per cent)
- Quality statements instead of KLOEs (19 per cent)
- Moving to a monitoring / continuous assessment model (14 per cent)
Julie Walton, head of registrations at Care 4 Quality, said: “Elements of the old framework will still exist under the changes, including no changes in legislation. Inspections and the five questions that underpin assessments will stay the same. This means it won’t be a completely new concept to businesses but there are many things to consider and, if the rollout goes well, the changes will approach all providers quickly in the new year.”
Simon van Os, head of customer solutions at Quality Care Group, commented: “The move signals a transformative shift in the evaluation of care homes in the UK. From a care business insurance perspective, this evolution holds the promise of a more standardised and transparent risk assessment process. While adjustments may be required, the overarching goal is to create a more efficient and effective system.
“As the industry continues to adapt to this new framework, collaboration and open communication will be essential for ensuring that the assessment criteria remain robust and reflective of the ever-evolving landscape of care provision in the UK.”
