From: Ian blenkharn@ianblenkharn.com
Category: News & information
Date: 05 Dez 2009
Time: 14:18:43 +0100
Remote Name: 86.133.232.173
Barbara Young has just quit the Care Quality Commission apparently as a consequence of Government concerns regarding its high costs and terrible performance record.
More detail at http://www.hsj.co.uk/5009328.article
This should concern us all, as perhaps it will send a sufficient shock wave through the CQC and improve monitoring of hospital (healthcare) performance. CQC replaced The Healthcare Commission and though that too had many problems its approach to quality measurement was to ask hospitals if the comply with a range of defined service and performance standards, including hygiene and waste management. Regular unannounced audits provided a check on the accuracy of those declarations.
Strangely, the CQC approach is to ask for a declaration that hospitals and other service providers will or intend to comply, and now with a much reduced though rather more broad and woolly standards. Of course, almost everyone says Yes, of course we intend to comply, and CQC bask in their own rather shallow success and claims of rising standards. Pats n the back all round, and no doubt a significant wedge of performance-relates pay.
But when the audits took place, and with public and media eyes always focussed on hospitals (though sadly rarely on issues of waste management) it all unravels and the standards are shown to be in part inadequate and compliance less that expected.
So off she goes, no doubt for a period in the shadows. And with a huge wedge of public money in her purse as a reward for failure. The next few days will perhaps see other high profile departures. It will cost a small fortune, but will not do much to raise standards of performance in our hospitals.