Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about the steps the CQC is taking to reduce the waiting time for (1) initial inspections, and (2) re-inspections, of healthcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has introduced additional oversight measures to ensure significant improvements are made to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) operational performance.
The CQC is aware of the issues health and social care providers have experienced and is progressing four immediate actions and five foundational improvements, which include clearing the backlog of registration applications and making improvements to its assessment approach to enable them to complete more, and publish higher quality, assessment reports.
Action carried out to address the registration backlog includes changing the way providers apply for registration, recruiting additional registration inspectors, and streamlining the internal registration processes. The CQC’s registration team has been clearing the backlog of registration applications that are over 10 weeks old, focusing on the oldest ones first.
Action carried out to make improvements to the CQC’s assessment approach include making some changes to the internal technology systems the CQC uses to carry out assessments.
These actions will ensure the CQC is more efficient, and will lead to a reduction in the time providers wait before they receive a first inspection and rating.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Care Quality Commission about the estimated timeframe for the elimination of the backlog for registering new healthcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has introduced additional oversight measures to ensure significant improvements are made to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) operational performance.
The CQC is aware of the issues health and social care providers have experienced and is progressing four immediate actions and five foundational improvements, which include clearing the backlog of registration applications and making improvements to its assessment approach to enable them to complete more, and publish higher quality, assessment reports.
Action carried out to address the registration backlog includes changing the way providers apply for registration, recruiting additional registration inspectors, and streamlining the internal registration processes. The CQC’s registration team has been clearing the backlog of registration applications that are over 10 weeks old, focusing on the oldest ones first.
Action carried out to make improvements to the CQC’s assessment approach include making some changes to the internal technology systems the CQC uses to carry out assessments.
These actions will ensure the CQC is more efficient, and will lead to a reduction in the time providers wait before they receive a first inspection and rating.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Care Quality Commission about improving the consistency of the quality of reports about healthcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has introduced additional oversight measures to ensure significant improvements are made to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) operational performance.
The CQC is aware of the issues health and social care providers have experienced and is progressing four immediate actions and five foundational improvements, which include clearing the backlog of registration applications and making improvements to its assessment approach to enable them to complete more, and publish higher quality, assessment reports.
Action carried out to address the registration backlog includes changing the way providers apply for registration, recruiting additional registration inspectors, and streamlining the internal registration processes. The CQC’s registration team has been clearing the backlog of registration applications that are over 10 weeks old, focusing on the oldest ones first.
Action carried out to make improvements to the CQC’s assessment approach include making some changes to the internal technology systems the CQC uses to carry out assessments.
These actions will ensure the CQC is more efficient, and will lead to a reduction in the time providers wait before they receive a first inspection and rating.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reform regulatory procedures for doctors and dentists by utilising or amending powers pursuant to section 60 of the Health Act 1999.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has been considering its priorities for professional regulation and will be setting these out shortly.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of interim suspensions of doctors subject to fitness to practice investigations; and what plans they have to improve the interim suspension procedure for patients and doctors.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of all medical doctors, anaesthesia associates, and physician associates practising in the United Kingdom. It sets and enforces the standards all doctors, anaesthesia associates, and physician associates must adhere to. If an allegation is made about a professional on its registers, the GMC has a statutory duty to investigate and take action to safeguard the health and well-being of the public where necessary. In serious cases, an Interim Orders Tribunal can suspend, or impose conditions upon, a professional’s registration on an interim basis, pending completion of the GMC’s investigation and possible hearing of the case by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Services.
The GMC is independent of the Government, directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The Government has no current plans to discuss the interim suspension procedure with the GMC.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the projected cost of clinical negligence claims over the course of the Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
The causes of the overall cost rise are complex and there is no single fix, as costs are likely to be rising because of a range of factors, including higher compensation payments and legal costs, rather than more claims or a decline in patient safety.
We recognise that this is an important issue, and ministers intend to look at all the drivers of cost.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper From Harm to Hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives, published in December 2021, whether they will secure funding for local drug treatment services to help ensure the continuity of care for those released from custody with a drug treatment need.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning services to prevent, mitigate and treat alcohol and drug related health harms, in response to local need. This includes supporting those who have been released from custody with high quality drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services.
The Department of Health and Social Care is continuing to invest in improvements to local alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services to enable people to access high quality help and support should they need it. Funding for drug and alcohol services in England is provided through the public health grant. In addition, in 2024/25, the Department of Health and Social Care has allocated local authorities a further £267 million to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery, alongside £105 million made available by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve treatment pathways and recovery, housing and employment outcomes for people with drug and alcohol problems. The Chancellor will conclude a multi-year Spending Review in spring 2025.