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Danny Mortimer, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, responded to the launch of the CQC’s new strategy 

“We welcome the overall direction of the CQC’s new strategy, which marks a shift away from organisations and towards service improvement and whole patient pathways. The strategy intends to create a permissive environment and to foster the right culture to support quality improvement – two things that will be crucial to the success of system working.

“The CQC plays a significant role in creating the right regulatory environment for system working to flourish and our members support the move to a more open, iterative and partnership-based approach to regulation adopted by the CQC since the onset of the pandemic. The strategy rightly places people and communities front and centre and we support a regulatory environment that is driven by people’s needs being met in the places where they live.

“The ambition to use data more intelligently in regulating the NHS is also important to NHS leaders.  We look forward to all regulators working together, aggregating information and data requests to avoid duplication will be key to reducing bureaucracy and the burden on provider organisations and systems.

“In the move towards system working and statutory ICSs, it will be crucial for all regulators to maintain a better balance between national consistency and the enormous possibilities of local flexibility and innovation, rather than assuming that 'one size fits all'. Our members look forward to working with the CQC, NHS England and others to ensure that the inspection and regulation of ICSs is developed collaboratively, in a way that allows local health and care partnerships to thrive, for the benefit of all the communities they serve.”