The Care Quality Commission [1], or CQC, is an independent body which regulates services related to health and social care in England. It was established in 2009, and it is a public body of the Department of Health, founded by the UK Parliament.
The purpose of the Care Quality Commission is to ensure that services related to health and social care in England are providing their patients with ethical, safe and high quality care which will benefit them both in the short term and the long term.
If a drug and alcohol rehab facility wishes to operate and treat patients suffering from addiction or substance use disorder, they must meet the required standards and guidelines set out by the Care Quality Commission.
If they do not meet these standards, they will be deemed unfit to serve and treat members of the public.
Some of the core principles of the Care Quality Commission include:
- Placing the people who utilise these services at the forefront of their priority
- To remain independent and objective, not to be influenced by outside parties
- To promote inclusivity, equality and diversity, and to ensure that human rights and needs are met at these services
- Establishing an environment of accessibility
- Form partnerships with others across the health care and social care system
- To continually improve the Care Quality Commission in order to benefit other social and healthcare establishments, thus providing better services for their patients.
The board of the Care Quality Commission meets up consistently throughout the year in order to adapt and improve the strategies towards regulating drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities among other health and social services.
Find your way towards sobriety at a CQC certified drug and alcohol rehab by giving us a call on 0800 326 5559
What Does the Care Quality Commission Do?
The Care Quality Commission has an incredible responsibility which is to ensure that these rehab facilities, along with other social and health service facilities, meet the standards which make their services not only safe but optimal for their patients.
Some of the responsibilities of the Care Quality Commission include monitoring, inspecting, and regulating health and social services, whether in the form of inpatient hospitals, GPs, dental clinics, residential drug and alcohol rehab facilities, mental health services, community-based services and much more.
Additionally, the Care Quality Commission publishes the results of their inspections in order to help other bodies and patients understand more about specific services.
The Care Quality Commission also utilises performance ratings in order for patients to choose their care. These performance ratings are categorised into 4 points:
- Outstanding
- Good
- Needs Improvement
- Inadequate
Since there are an overwhelming amount of factors to consider when looking for the right care, the Care Quality Commission has the objective of making the selection process easier for patients who require urgent care.
Patients are able to view these ratings online [2] to help them make an informed decision when choosing care services.
The drug and alcohol rehab facilities (which the Care Quality Commission are responsible for regulating) must meet the required standards of care in order to carry out their practice.
The Care Quality Commission has a great ambition which is to not only improve social and health services for members of the community, but also to advance equality for service users and to uphold human rights.
Discover more about the CQC and the good work it does by calling our experts on 0800 326 5559
What are the Fundamental Standards of Care According to the Care Quality Commission?
The regulations which these rehabilitation services are required to meet are always adapting and improving in ways which will benefit the members of the public.
Not only do the Care Quality Commission inspect other services, but they are always making adjustments to their own regulations and frameworks in order to improve their assessments.
According to the Care Quality Commission, there are 16 essential standards of quality and safety which are fundamental to their inspections and assessments.
Some of these standards include:
- Treatment plans must reflect the service user’s unique needs and preferences (not applying a ‘one size fits all’ method which can be detrimental to one person’s recovery)
- Dignity and respect must be displayed to service users and patients
- Patients must provide consent to treatment methods and care before being applied
- Treatment must be carried out safely, always
- Staff members must not abuse their position or mistreat the service users
- Nutrition, hydration, and other health requirements outside of the patient’s core treatment must be met
- The facilities in which the staff and service users use must be hygienic and secure
- Each and every complaint from a service user must be taken into consideration and investigated
- Staff members must be trained or qualified in order to work at the facility
Attend a local drug and alcohol rehab with complete confidence by calling our expert team on 0800 326 5559
The Care Quality Commission’s Inspection and Audit Process
Regular inspections are integral for the Care Quality Commission to ensure that these services are compliant with the fundamental standards, thus providing appropriate and optimal treatment for its service users.
The inspectors who work for the Care Quality Commission are not only inspectors, but they specialise in particular areas in order to maximise their thoroughness and attention to detail throughout inspection.
For example, inspectors who are responsible for inspecting drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities will specialise in substance use disorder services, and this will improve the quality and standards of care of these facilities.
1. Ensuring Ethical Workers: The Duty of Candour
There is also special emphasis on the duty of candour, which requires health and social services to be transparent in their communication with the Care Quality Commission about their methods of treatment and care.
This also goes beyond the health or social service organisation itself, and the director of this organisation will also need to comply with regulations such as the fit and proper person test.
This ensures that the person in charge of the health or social service is ethical and transparent.
If these directors fail to comply with these regulations, the Care Quality Commission will advocate for their dismissal.
2. On-site Inspections
The Care Quality Commission places emphasis on the importance of onsite inspections.
They are imperative towards ensuring that service users and patients are able to benefit from their drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility.
In addition to being able to assess whether the facilities and methods are clean, ethical, and effective, onsite inspections can also help form stronger relationships with local health and social services.
Not only does the Care Quality Commission gain better insight into the operations of these facilities, but so will the partner.
Additionally, the Care Quality Commission will ensure that they respond to risks and issues which require urgent solutions. If there are reports of unfair treatment, poor quality of facilities, or any other issues, members of the Care Quality Commission will be sure to investigate these problems with haste and urgency.
Learn more about how the CQC properly inspects drug and alcohol rehabs by talking to our team on 0800 326 5559
Why is it Important to Regulate Hospitals and Rehabilitation Centres
Although rehabilitation centres, hospitals, and other health and social service facilities are places where people go in order to seek support, they are not always optimal.
Some facilities may lack funding and therefore the necessary resources or workers as a result, or they may have hygiene issues due to negligence, or, their staff members may be incompetent or even abusive.
Certain facilities which fail to meet the standards of the Care Quality Commission’s assessments can be detrimental to a patient’s physical or psychological health.
Unsuitable treatment programmes, inadequate care and support from staff, and even overcrowding in facilities can mean that not only do some patients not receive adequate care, but they may even associate these recovery facilities with negative connotations.
The Care Quality Commission regularly inspects and regulates hundreds of health and social services.
Not only did the Care Quality Commission identify facilities which were deemed to be ‘outstanding’ and ‘good’ according to their framework, they also identified facilities which were deemed to be inadequate and allowed them to improve their services.
Get the help you need to overcome addiction by giving our expert team a call on 0800 326 5559
The Priorities of the Care Quality Commission’s (The Four Themes)
It is possible to simplify the Care Quality Commission’s priorities by dividing them into four themes. These four themes include:
- People and communities: The driving force behind Care Quality Commission’s mission of regulating services is due to the people’s urgent requirements, and it is important to make sure that these services are accessible to members of the community.
- Smarter regulation: The regulation framework is one which is constantly adapting to ensure that members of the public are benefitting from effective and ethical services.
- Safety through learning: The Care Quality Commission wants to foster environments which encourage safety through learning and also collaboration between different services, workers, and also members of the public.
- Accelerating improvement: Not only do patients and members of the public require support, but health and social services need support, too. The Care Quality Commission wants to emphasise this in order to improve the quality of these services.
To ensure that you end up at a legitimate rehab vetted by the CQC, talk to our team on 0800 326 5559
The Care Quality Commission’s Mission for Inclusivity
Not everyone in our communities have the same levels of support or accessibility to services as others.
It is important to ensure that those who are in vulnerable circumstances are also able to access thorough support from these rehabilitation services. People who fall into these categories include but are not limited to:
- Adolescents
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people
- Homeless people
- Domestic abuse victims
- Sex workers
- People with mental health issues and mental disabilities
Whatever your background, identity or condition, get help from a drug and alcohol rehab by giving us a call on 0800 326 5559
Enforcement Action: When a Facility Does Not Comply With the Required Standards
The Care Quality Commission follows a protocol in the event of a health or social care not complying with regulations.
Its enforcement policy [3] details that there various purposes of why enforcement should be used, with these including;
- Protecting patients who not only use but rely on these services for treatment and support
- To ensure that health and social services are held accountable for any inadequacies and problems which are within their control
This does not mean that they will always use these enforcement powers when a service does not meet the expectations of the framework.
The Care Quality Commission will always help these services improve. However, in the event of a health or social service’s standards meeting unacceptable levels, enforcement may be needed in order to improve services.
There is also a wide range of enforcement methods which can be implemented in the event of a service failing to reach the standards required to help its patients. Some of these methods of enforcement include warnings, notices, fines, and even prosecution.
Begin your recovery journey today by giving our expert team a call today on 0800 326 5559
CQC’s Impact on the Addiction Rehab Industry
The inspection, regulation, and method of enforcement have drastically improved the quality of drug and alcohol rehabilitation providers.
Not only has the Care Quality Commission highlighted services which are deemed to be good or outstanding, which other services can learn from, they have also highlighted those which are deemed to be unacceptable.
Not only does this mean that patients know the risks of entering an addiction rehabilitation facility which is not acceptable, but many facilities have even been closed down in the past due to unacceptable levels of care which do not benefit their patients optimally.
In addition to eliminating service options which may be considered suboptimal or even detrimental to one’s physical or mental health, it has also set a precedent in the addiction rehab industry where services need to provide adequate support and care for their patients.
You too can benefit from the high standards set by the CQC at any first-rate drug and alcohol rehab in the UK – call our team today on 0800 326 5559
How the Care Quality Commission Benefits Patients
The impact that the Care Quality Commission has had on the addiction rehab industry provides a range of benefits for service users and patients.
Some of these include:
- Making health and rehab services more accessible for people
- Being able to read published reviews of health and social service facilities in order to make an informed decision
- Higher levels of engagement with services, organisations, and service users, allowing for collaboration and for the voices of service users to be heard
Ultimately, the Care Quality Commission plays an integral role in regulating rehab facilities.
Not only do they help patients understand how safe or effective a rehab facility is, but they also utilise their inspection, regulation, and enforcement powers in order to help improve health and social services, thus increasing accessibility to patients and the effectiveness of the treatment plans they will undergo.
To access a drug and alcohol rehab in the UK, vetted by the CQC and perfectly suited to your needs, give our team a call today on 0800 326 5559
References
[2] https://www.cqc.org.uk/about-us/how-we-do-our-job/ratings
[3] https://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20150209_enforcement_policy_V1-1.pdf
