Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of all healthcare in England whether it's provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies or voluntary organisations.
The CQC make sure that essential common quality standards are being met where care is provided and continually work towards the improvement of care services. They promote the rights and interests of people who use services and have a wide range of enforcement powers to take action on their behalf if services are not up to the standards they require.
Before 1st April 2009, this regulation was overseen by the Healthcare Commission which no longer exists.
The CQC main activities include:
- Registration of health and social care providers to ensure they are meeting essential common quality standards.
- Monitoring and inspection of all healthcare.
- Using enforcement powers, such as fines and public warnings or closures, if standards are not being met.
- Improving health care services by undertaking regular reviews of how well those who arrange and provide services locally are performing and special reviews on particular care services, pathways of care or themes where there are particular concerns about quality.
- Reporting the outcomes of their work so that people who use services have information about the quality of their local healthcare services. It helps those who arrange and provide services to see where improvement is needed and learn from each other about what works best.
You can contact the Commission at:
Care Quality Commission
National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA
Telephone: 03000 616161
Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
Website: www.cqc.org.uk
