Kathryn Smith, Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), responds to the findings of the 'Review into the Operational Effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission' published yesterday, 15 October 2024.
The independent review, led by Dr Penny Dash, highlights important areas for improvement within the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and across the wider social care sector, including the critical need to bridge gaps in policy around improvement, innovation, commissioning, and patient safety.
Kathryn said: "The review recognises the need for stronger policy in the areas of improvement and innovation. SCIE has long championed the need for evidence-based approaches to driving improvement in care delivery, focusing on ensuring that individuals receive high-quality care that is accessible to all.
“It highlights that current efforts to innovate or improve care services are not operating at the scale needed to meet the challenges facing the sector. SCIE stands ready to help scale efforts and provide comprehensive resources to support providers, commissioners, and policymakers in improving care access and quality.
“The review highlights significant issues related to safety issues. Safeguarding vulnerable individuals is at the heart of the social care sector and SCIE’s mission. We look forward to working with Dr Dash as part of her further two reviews on patient safety and quality.
“The public needs confidence in the quality of social care services. SCIE commends the review for shedding light on these crucial issues and looks forward to collaborating with stakeholders across the sector to ensure that the necessary improvements are made. The sector needs a stronger, safer, and more innovative social care system.”
