The new Care Quality Commission inspection procedures

Earlier this year, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) launched a public consultation with the aim of reviewing its current inspection methods (CQC, 2021a). The decision to hold a public consultation was taken because of the serious impact the COVID-19 pandemic was having on the functioning of the NHS as a whole. This led to the regulator having to consider amending its inspection strategies to alleviate unnecessary pressures on the NHS.

This decision was a recognition that the CQC needed to balance its statutory responsibilities with the need to allow hospitals and other providers to concentrate on delivering care during the pandemic while simultaneously coping with the stresses of increased patient flow (Glasper, 2021). The public consultation ran until 23 March 2021 and reflected the CQC's quest to continue to develop a more targeted, responsive and collaborative approach to regulation in a changing landscape of health and social care (CQC, 2021a).