The Care Provider Alliance’s rapid review of the Single Assessment Framework.
In September, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) set out a programme of measures to improve its ways of working following the findings of the interim report by Dr Penny Dash published in July. That report laid bare the very significant performance and implementation issues facing the CQC and began to delve into the areas that needed urgent and immediate transformation. Dr Penny Dash’s full review was published in October 2024.
After the interim report by Dr Dash was published, the CQC commissioned Professor Sir Mike Richards to carry out a review of the Single Assessment Framework and its implementation. Phase 1 of that was completed in mid-October 2024 and included a series of recommendations. Alongside this work, the CQC engaged the Care Provider Alliance (CPA), of which I am the current Chair, to gather care providers’ views and operational perspectives of the Single Assessment Framework (SAF). This work has two phases, the first of which collected views via a survey, developed at speed with the support of the CPA steering group and promoted through multiple communications across the sector, including thousands of leaflets distributed at care shows and direct communication from CPA members and the CQC.
This survey garnered engagement from over 1,500 services resulting in over 1,200 qualifying responses. The analysis of these responses is providing rich and valuable data, both qualitative and quantitative which will be fed back to the CQC board building depth and detail of social care experience into any existing review work. In addition, the responses have been vital in shaping the second stage of the work.
Second stage of the work
The second stage of the CPA’s work will be governed by the survey results and reported on in partnership with Professor Sir Mike Richards. Responses have given strong indications and recommendations on how the CQC should shape its vision of regulatory assessment, including:
- An understanding of what providers want from assessment, including learning from regulation elsewhere within the UK
- The changes required within the assessment framework to establish consistency in assessment in the different sectors, with our focus on the social care sector
- Clearer definitions of “what good regulatory assessment looks like” for each area of the assessment framework
- Clearer guidance on the assessment reporting process and content, including initial feedback, timing of reports, relationship with providers, press release and the reports
As the first stage of this work has now concluded I extend my gratitude on behalf of the CPA to all providers who engaged with the survey and shared their views. Members of the CPA will continue to provide challenge to the CQC with a primary focus on getting regulatory assessment right for people receiving care and support. The work that we have done to date as part of this review, and our constant engagement with members reinforce our understanding of the very challenging experience for care providers on the ground, and the vital importance of moving forward to ensure that future approaches to assessment serves people drawing on care and support, providers and commissioners more effectively.
Members of CPA remain committed to this work and would like to encourage as many providers as possible to have their voices heard at this critical juncture in the future of regulatory assessment.
