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.