Introduction to CQC registrationApril 2012

What CQC doCQC are the health and social care regulator for EnglandCQC register and monitor all health and social care providers in the country to ensure they meet agreed standardsThey have brought 22,000 providers into the system and primary care is the final part to registerRegistration only happens once it is not an annual process after registering the focus moves to monitoring compliance

LegislationCQC, their role and responsibilities are set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008It sets out Regulations requirements for quality and safety that all providers must meet as well as the registration processNot complying with the regulations is an offence

The essentials standardsCQC has produced a document called the Essential standardsThis clarifies what it means to meet the regulations set by the GovernmentThe standards do not change between sectors but some will be more relevant to primary care

CQC registration and standardsThere are 16 essential standards of quality and safety, which come under five main areas of care:

Treating people with respect and involving them in their care Provision of care, treatment and support that meets peoples needs Caring for people safely and protecting them from harmStaffing Management

Why regulate?

People can expect services to meet essential standards of quality, protect their safety and respect their dignity and rights, wherever care is provided, wherever they livePeople have a right to choice and to know that providers are held accountableRegistration is the first part of regulation

What does CQC register?

CQC register providers who undertake regulated activities at locations and monitor their compliance with the essential standards. They also register registered managers who are in charge of the day-to-day management of the regulated activities.

What does CQC register?

Provider is the legal entity that is legally responsible for the regulated activities Regulated activities are set out in the legislation and cover the services/activities undertakenLocations are the place in which or from where regulated activities are provided or managedThe Essential standards are the standards providers need to meetRegistered manager is the person in charge of the day-to-day management of one or more regulated activities.

Key phases up to April 2013CQC engagement and guidance May/JuneJulyFrom September Sep 2012 April 2013Account set up and form openApplication assessment1 April 2013Application submission Registration confirmed

Preparing for registration

Understand the requirements of the regulations and our essential standards of quality and safetyVisit our website to familiarise yourself with the basic concepts and terminologyCheck your internal systems and consider evidence needed to demonstrate outcomes and experiences of people using services for the 16 essential standards that focus on quality and safetyFor more information visit the GP areas of the CQC website: www.cqc.org.uk/register

*This presentation will give an overview of what CQC does and introduce a few key concepts. These will provide a starting point for your preparation for registration with CQC

All primary medical care including GP practices will be required to register with us by April 2013. This feels like quite a way off but the process will actually start in July.

****The content of registration who has to register, which activities and by when is determined by legislation set by Parliament. The legislation requires any provider of regulated activities anywhere in England to register and all primary medical care providers are included in this.

The legislation also sets out the quality and safety regulations. These are the bottom line not complying with these regulations is an offence so it is important for practices to identify the regulated activities they deliver and that they are compliant with these regulations.

**CQC have produced a document called Essential Standards which is their guidance, to clarify what it looks like when a provider is complying with the regulations. It adds more detail to help translate the legalese into what that means in a real service.

Essential standards were set-up in a manner that ensures our focus is on the care people receive. They describe the outcome you would expect people using the service to experience if the regulation was being met and include prompts about what a service may have in place so this happens.

We apply the same standards to all providers across health and social care, whether the care they provide is in hospital, in the community or in someones home so the care is what counts.

All outcomes described in the essential standards apply to all service types. It is not within CQCs power to exempt any provider from any part of the legal requirements. However, each outcome should be read and assessed in a way that is appropriate and proportionate to the service in question.***Essential standards - There are 16 essential standards that focus on the quality and safety of care. These are the standards that we look at when registering providers.

All the standards, including the 16 that focus on quality and safety of care, have been grouped into five areas of care.

Wed expect most GP practices to already be meeting them. The vocabulary may be unfamiliar but they should not cause you to have to change your business. They are written in such a way to provide flexibility for providers to be able to demonstrate performance in whatever way works in their situation - as long as they do demonstrate that they comply with regulations. Our enforcement powers and ongoing monitoring enable us to hold providers to account, and our risk-based approach will focus attention where need is greatest.

Our judgments are transparent as we want the public to have access to what we have to say - information is there to help people make choices. A provider is - the legal entity that is legally responsible for the regulated activities that are carried on and for ensuring compliance with the essential standards of quality and safety. In most cases this will be the GP partnership

Regulated activities are set out in the legislation and cover the services / activities you undertake. There are 15 but we believe the following are most appropriate for GP practices:

Treatment of disease, disorder or injuryDiagnostic and screening servicesSurgical procedures Family planningMaternity and midwifery services

A location is a place in which or from where regulated activities are provided or managed. In most cases this will be your practice.Where you have a practice that you consider to be a main practice with an associated branch surgery, you can include the branch surgery under the main practices location. As long as only patients from the same registered patient list are seen or treated at the branch surgery.

If the branch surgery treats patients from a different registered patient list to that of the main practice, the branch surgery will need to be registered as a location in its own right.

Weve been working with GPs and stakeholders to review and refine the registration process, including the application form and the questions we ask. An overview of the process and what you will be registering can be found on our website and in our Overview of Registration guidance.

We have finalised when the process will begin:

July 2012 A simple collection of contact details using an online web form. This provides us with the details as to who needs to register. Once youve set that up youll also have access to the online registration form at this stage and can begin working on itFrom Sept youll be asked to submit your form Youll be able to pick a 28 day window (between September and December) in which you will submit your application.

You only have to submit your application to us, you will not be required to send in any of your evidence.

From then until April well be assessing your application. For the majority of cases this will be straightforward and simple. There maybe some instances when we ask for a little more information or may come out and visit you.

From April 2013 youll be registered with CQC and well be monitoring your compliance with the standards.