Review of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales announced by Health Minister
5 Jun 2014 04:28 PM
An independent review of Wales’ healthcare
inspectorate will be carried out with a view to introducing new legislation to
strengthen its remit, Health Minister Mark Drakeford
announced.
The
review of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) will be led by Ruth Marks, the
former older people’s commissioner for Wales.
HIW
is the independent inspectorate and regulator of healthcare in Wales. It is
responsible for reviewing and inspecting NHS and independent healthcare
organisations to provide assurance for patients; the public; the Welsh
Government and healthcare providers that services are safe and of good
quality.
Following the review, the Welsh Government will publish
a Green Paper, outlining proposals for new legislation to secure a
strengthened, independent inspection and regulatory remit for HIW before the
end of the Assembly term in 2016.
It
is proposed that an NHS Quality Bill will be introduced early in the next
Assembly to streamline and strengthen existing legislation regarding the
quality of healthcare in Wales, this will include the roles and
responsibilities of HIW.
The
Health Minister made the announcement in response to a National Assembly health
committee inquiry report into the work of HIW.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Professor Drakeford
said:
“The most fundamental feature of HIW is that it is
an independent inspectorate - independent of the NHS and independent of the
Welsh Government.
“Ten years after its creation, and now with a very
different set of legislative powers available to the National Assembly, the
time is right for a fundamental review of HIW to reform, develop and improve
its regulatory and inspection functions.
“In the decade of its operation HIW has,
undoubtedly, acquired a series of additional responsibilities. The review will
consider whether its remit is, now, sufficiently coherent and look for ways in
which it can be streamlined and strengthened.
“Because a review on this basis could well lead to
legislation, I believe that it is important that such a review should, in
itself, include a strong independent element.
“I'm pleased to be able to announce that Ruth
Marks, former older people’s commissioner for Wales and author of the
Dignified Care? review, has agreed to provide independent oversight of the
review.
“The work will begin, without any undue delay. It
will need to be comprehensive and to secure the confidence of all relevant
stakeholders.
“However, if the review identifies any issues or
lessons which can be learned from other regulators in the UK in the short term,
we will not wait for any changes in legislation to do
so.”