‘We need to improve’ CQC head tells care leaders

Recently appointed Chief Executive Ian Trenholm has said the CQC needs to improve to better serve the needs of providers.

Ian, who took over from Sir David Behan in July (see CQC appoints new chief executive), was speaking to delegates at yesterday’s Care England ‘Logging On’ conference in Westminster.

“I have found an organisation that needs to improve,” Ian said.

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“We need to improve how easy we are to do business with. We need to improve our processes and our systems.

“My first job and my early priorities are going to be around the work we do internally.

“If we can get that right then the service we can offer you is better and we can lighten your load too.”

Ian said the CQC needed to make better use of the data it holds to provide greater insight for operators.

Looking at care quality across the sector, Ian said the overall picture was “pretty good” with 79% of care ‘good’ in adult social care.

The CQC boss added the caveat, however that the experience of care depended very much on where people lived.

Ian highlighted the varying degree of health and care integration across the country, noting that “trust” between leaders was a “magic source” in systems that worked well.

The chief executive noted that social care had struggled as a sector to make improvements, however, partly due to a lack of communication between providers.

He directed delegates towards the CQC’s Driving Improvement case studies for guidance.

The chief executive highlighted the challenges of moving data around the system, adding there was a “real value” in adopting the “small things” in technology such as apps monitoring fluid intake and UTIs.