Committee of Public Accounts - Written evidence from the Chief Executive, Action against Medical Accidents (Part 3)

Over a series of Articles we intend to look at the Committee of Public Accounts - Written evidence from the Chief Executive, Action against Medical Accidents.

This is a Published Article taken directly from the Publications Page of www.parliament.uk

You can jump straight to the full publication here

We, at Edith Ellen HQ, have been very interested in the AvMA a national charity working towards Patient Safety and Justice for Patients when "things go wrong".

The main points of this Article are

• whether the CQC should be more proactive in following up indicators of potential patient safety lapses, drawing on our research on implementation of Patient Safety Alerts issued by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA);

• whether the CQC does enough to regulate openness and transparency, both with respect to promoting the protection and support of whistleblowers, and openness with patients/their relatives when things go wrong;

• whether the CQC engages appropriately with the public; and

• whether the CQC’s remit is too wide.

 

With these main points in mind we are jumping to Point 6 of the published article: 

Engaging with the Public

"no information about how members of the public can inform the CQC itself about concerns about registered organisations."

6.1 Although the CQC has put various mechanisms in place to engage with service users and the public, it still does not have its basic managing right or even provide some essential information on its website.

6.2 For example, the CQC website for members of the public gives information about how to complain about health or social care providers, but it offers no information about how members of the public can inform the CQC itself about concerns about registered organisations. This is in spite of the CQC telling us and other organisations repeatedly that it wants to hear from members of the public and everything received will be considered.

6.3 Unless members of the public and patients’ organisations can have easy access to ways of reporting serious concerns about a registered organisation directly to the CQC, opportunities for the CQC to spot a failing or dangerous organisation will be lost. Whilst the CQC does not investigate complaints as such, it must show itself to be more receptive to reports of concerns. Information about this should be provided on the website, together with how the CQC will use such information.