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What is CQC assurance
CQC (Care Quality Commission) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
What is CQC assurance?
The Health and Care Act 2022 gave the CQC new powers to assess local authorities' adult social services and how they are delivering their Care Act 2014 duties. This power came in force in April 2023.
What is the purpose of CQC assurance?
The purpose of CQC assurance is to provide independent assurance to the public of the quality of care in their area.
As part of the assurance process, CQC will want to understand:
- how the care provided in a local authority improves outcomes for people and reduces inequalities in access to care
- people's experiences and outcomes from care.
In Camden, we are confident in the support we provide to residents in Camden. The CQC assessment will provide us an opportunity to gather evidence that demonstrates the way we work with people.
CQC assessment framework
To approach the assessment, CQC will apply a framework that consists of 9 quality statements across 4 overall themes.
The themes are:
- how local authorities work with people
- how local authorities provide support
- ensuring safety within the system
- leadership
CQC will use these themes to determine whether a local authority is providing high quality support to people that draw on services. Interim guidance (February 2023) on how CQC would approach local authority assessments is available.
What will happen in the CQC assurance process
CQC will be assessing through the examination of 4 key themes and 9 quality statements in the assessment framework.
They will gather evidence across 6 categories to determine how local authorities perform against the assessment framework.
The 6 categories are:
- People’s experience – talking to people who draw of services and their carers
- Feedback from staff and leaders
- Observations of care
- Feedback from partners
- Examining our processes
- Looking at the outcomes of care
On-site inspection
CQC will use the on-site visit in November to have conversations with staff and focus groups with key stakeholders.
A conversation with the Adult Social Care Senior Management Team has already taken place.
Further information is available on how we have prepared for the CQC inspection.