Care Quality Commission NHS Ratings 2008/09 - Department Of Health Response

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 16 Oct 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Responding to the Care Quality Commission's NHS Ratings Health Minister Mike O'Brien said:

"The newly created Care Quality Commission have given a tough assessment which also shows improving standards across the NHS.

"Thanks to the hard work of NHS staff there has been major improvement over the past year. We have transformed the waiting experience for millions of patients and now have the shortest waits on record. MRSA and C. difficile infections have been significantly reduced and over three quarters of GP surgeries are providing extended opening hours, giving patients greater choice and more convenient access to GPs.

"The NHS treats millions of people every week and the vast majority of patients experience good quality, safe and effective care. The Care Quality Commission's recent survey showed that 93 per cent of patients rate their overall care as good or excellent and staff satisfaction is at its highest ever levels.

"As a result of Lord Darzi's ambitious vision, the NHS is already focussing relentlessly on quality and patients are seeing real improvements as a result and we recently set out plans to do even more to help take the NHS from good to great.

"The assessment has been more challenging this year. The CQC introduced tough new criteria for Mental Health and Ambulance Trusts, we introduced the hygiene code a year early and there has been greater scrutiny of some core standards, such as child safeguarding following the tragic Baby Peter case. We also know that Trusts themselves have carried out a more rigorous self-assessment ahead of the requirement to seek registration with the CQC next year.

"This is the most rigorous assessment of standards that the NHS has ever seen, carried out by a new independent regulator who we established and tasked with making sure the toughest standards are enforced routinely across the system. This makes it difficult to compare with previous years but is essential as we move towards registration of all NHS services.

"For the small number of Trusts whose performance is weak, we expect immediate action to be taken to remedy this quickly and to prepare for registration with the CQC next year. Earlier this year we introduced a tough new performance regime and will not hesitate to trigger this if we need to."

Source
Department of Health, UK

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