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Care Quality Commission consults on involving people who use services

Care Quality Commission consults on involving people who use services

CARE QUALITY COMMISSION News Release (PR 06) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 28 January 2009

The involvement of people who use health and social care services will be at the heart of the work of the new Care Quality Commission (CQC). The Commission will involve people in many ways - from governance on our board, through to designing the way we work, deciding our priorities, and in inspections. Today, 28 January, the Commission has launched a consultation on its 'Statement of Involvement.

The Statement of Involvement explains the importance of people's views and experience to the work of the Commission and sets out how the CQC plans to involve people who use services in all of its work - including inspections and reviews of services and helping to shape its priorities.

Cynthia Bower, chief executive of the Care Quality Commission, said:

"The Care Quality Commission is all about people. Involving people in what we do and how we do it is central to our plans and essential for our success.

"We will build on the good work of the existing commissions and add our own ideas to make sure that we reach as many people as possible - especially those who may find it hard to be heard. We also plan to check how well the organisations we assess involve people."

CQC's involvement work will be based on human rights, equality, valuing what people say and standing up for their rights and dignity.

The consultation seeks views on the CQC's general approach as well as on specific issues such as how best to consult and involve children, how to make sure its communications are accessible, how it can make sure that what people tell it is influential and how it can involve people in running the organisation.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. The Care Quality Commission was established by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to regulate the quality of health and adult social care and look after the interests of people detained under the Mental Health Act.

2. It will bring together the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Healthcare Commission and the Mental Health Act Commission. The Care Quality Commission became a legal entity on 1 October 2008 and takes up its responsibilities for the quality of health and adult social care on 1 April 2009.

3. The CQC has a legal duty to publish a Statement of Involvement. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 sets out requirements on involvement, which say that the Commission must (among other things):

* focus on the needs and experiences of people who use health and social services

* have regard to the views and experience of people who use services (and their families and friends)

* have regard to the views and opinions of LINks

* protect and promote the rights of people who use services

* publish a statement on how it will engage.

Clause 5 stipulates that the statement must include information on how the Care Quality Commission will:

* promote awareness among service users and carers of its functions,

* promote and engage in discussion with service users and carers about the provision of health and social care services and about the way in which the Commission exercises its functions,

* ensure that proper regard is had to the views expressed by service users and carers

* arrange for any of its functions to be exercised

4. CQC has worked with a range of people who use services and the public to develop the Statement of Involvement. We now want to consult more fully. The consultation period for the Statement of Involvement is eight weeks. Responses are therefore required by 25 March 2009. Full details can be found on the CQC's web site http://www.cqc.org.uk

5. The Care Quality Commission's manifesto, which sets out its vision and values, can be found at http://www.cqc.org.uk

6. The Care Quality Commission Chairman is Barbara Young and the five Commissioners appointed to date are Professor Deirdre Kelly, Dame Jo Williams, Olu Olasode, Kay Sheldon and Professor Martin Marshall.

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