Health watchdog ‘not fit for purpose’, says Wes Streeting
The health watchdog has been branded “not fit for purpose”, after a landmark review left Wes Streeting “stunned” by the extent of its failings.
The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspectors were found to be so inexperienced some had never even been in a hospital before they inspected one.
The watchdog is supposed to inspect hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes, give them a rating, and raise the alarm if services are failing.
But the review, which has now been handed to Wes Streeting, found thousands of sites have never been checked.
In total, one in five of all locations have never had a rating, while the last inspection at some hospitals was more than a decade ago.
It raises the prospect that some hospitals may be even worse than thought.
The interim report, led by a senior NHS executive, found inspection levels are far below the level they were before the pandemic, with a lack of expertise among those doing the inspections.
Mr Streeting, the Health Secretary, said: “When I joined the department, it was already clear that the NHS was broken and the social care system in crisis.
“But I have been stunned by the extent of the failings of the institution that is supposed to identify and act on failings. It’s clear to me the CQC is not fit for purpose.”
The review, which was commissioned in the last months of the Conservative government, comes amid growing concern about the risks being posed to patients, with NHS leaders having warned they have lost faith in the system.
Care home inspectors knew so little about the institutions they were supposed to be safeguarding that some had never even met people with dementia, the review found.
Mr Streeting said he had ordered immediate steps to improve regulation and restore public confidence in the regulator.
Prof Sir Mike Richards, CQC’s first chief inspector of hospitals, who left in 2017, will be brought back to overhaul the way inspections are being carried out.
Mr Streeting said: “I know this will be a worrying development for patients and families who rely on CQC assessments when making choices about their care.
“I want to reassure them that I am determined to grip this crisis and give people the confidence that the care they’re receiving has been assessed. This Government will never turn a blind eye to failure.”
The review, published on Friday, was carried out by Penny Dash, chairman of North West London integrated care board, who will now be asked to carry out a wider review of all patient safety organisations.
Its interim report found that failings were such that the regulator was unable to effectively judge the quality of health and care services – including those in need of urgent improvement.
The week before the election, Ian Trenholm, the chief executive of the CQC, resigned after six years in post.
Within days, a leaked document revealed concerns from his interim successor, Kate Terroni, that the regulator was “not working and we are not consistently keeping people who use services safe”.
While Labour was in opposition, Mr Streeting said that he had been “blown away” by the number of times nurses warned him that the CQC was not thorough enough, and failed to talk to frontline staff who could alert them to patient safety problems.
Just before Labour won the election, he said that re-establishing the credibility of the Care Quality Commission would be a “first order priority” for a Labour government.
Mr Streeting has also asked Lord Darzi, a leading surgeon, who was a health minister under Gordon Brown, to carry out a “warts and all” independent investigation of the NHS in order to provide the new Government with a clear picture of the failings which need tackling.
Lord Darzi is expected to publish his findings in September, ahead of publication of a 10-year plan for the NHS early next year.
Dr Dash said her interim findings underscore “the urgent need for comprehensive reform within the CQC”.
The report calls for an overhaul of inspection and assessment, rapid improvements to operational performance and fixing of faltering IT systems.
Prof Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, said: “It is clear that Dr Dash has listened to the voices of care providers, resulting in a clear set of recommendations.
“This report acknowledges the severe and systemic problems that sit at the very heart of the CQC and gives a specific set of steps that the regulator must take to improve performance and re-establish the sector’s long-eroded trust.
“This is going to be a long and difficult journey for the CQC, but one that is entirely necessary,” he said.