This informative article from our strategic law partner, Ridouts, gives a flavour of what to expect from CQC.
Over the last year CQC has continued to inspect predominantly only where there were serious risks to people’s safety, a shift from previous methodologies which looked at improvement as well as risk.
One of the most fundamental aspects of the December 2021 update to CQC’s regulatory approach was the categorical clarification by CQC that it does not intend to return to routine frequency-based inspections. Reference to re-inspection timeframes has been removed from the latest versions of Provider handbooks and so it appears this change is here to stay. No longer will Providers have an idea of when CQC might return to re-inspect them.
It appears that, for the most part, CQC’s inspection model will continue to be focused on being reactive to evidence that people are at risk of harm. Providers should take note of this and consider the type of information that might therefore trigger an inspection.