Project Description
How To Fix An Inadequate/Requires Improvement CQC Rating
In January 2018, consumer watchdog Which? examined 1,917 care homes and found 24% required improvement or were rated inadequate.
What Happens When You Get an Inadequate CQC Rating?
Depending on your held rating, The Care Quality Commission inspects a care home every 1- 5 years. When a care home receives an inadequate CQC rating from its inspection, special measures are introduced by the CQC – though they can sometimes take urgent enforcement action if appropriate.
Following an inadequate rating, there is a turnaround period. Inspectors will return again in 6 months expecting to see improvements.
If improvements are not made, there will be another 6 month period for improvement however, the Care Quality Commission will take steps to prevent the service from operating, such as initiating an embargo (making it impossible to receive new service users and residents).
Over this secondary 6 month period, if improvements are still not made, the Care Quality Commission may move to close down the service.
Remember, the CQC is always on the side of the service users and residents and though they aren’t actively looking to close a service down, drastic action can be taken in serious cases.
The CQC inspection is there to ensure that residents are being looked after properly, to acceptable standards and that the business is being run in the correct manner.
What is involved in a CQC inspection
There are 5 key criteria that your service with be assessed on during the CQC inspection:
Safety:
Ensure that your service users, residents and staff are safe and protected from harm and abuse.
Effectiveness:
Ticking boxes is not enough, you must ensure that actions are carried out such that the level of care, treatment and support offered is to a high level.
Care:
Ensure staff treat those in their care with respect, dignity and compassion.
Responsiveness:
Not every resident is the same. You must ensure that your service is responsive to varying needs. Care should be based on the individual rather than an average example.
Leadership:
Leadership is crucial to the whole operation and it takes more than managing staff. You need to ensure that the organisation promotes an open and fair culture encouraging learning and innovation within its staff.
Tips to pass a CQC inspection
Empower Staff
Frontline staff can sometimes be anxious about an inspection… but they shouldn’t be! Empower staff to see it as an opportunity to show what you are achieving day-to-day and a chance to receive helpful advice to make the way they work the best that it can be.
Mock Inspections
Did you know you can organise mock inspections based on a real CQC inspection? This can help you flag areas that need improvement before the inspectors do!
Check out the three providers below:
CIA
Quality, Management and Development Services
Think About Technology
Technology doesn’t have to mean expensive and complicated!The CQC looks approvingly on organisations displaying innovation and learning in its activities. So, improve the effectiveness of your service by being proactive in your approach.
A platform like Medicbank has a huge range of benefits, one of those includes cutting your staffing costs.
Document Transparency and Control
Having 24/7 access to a detailed profile of each nurse that works with you includes a nurses documentation and training. You can feel assured that the nurses you choose to work in your home are fully compliant, with all relevant documentation available to view.
One of the biggest risks in a CQC inspection is poor staff.
The inspectors look carefully at staffing. Are you fully staffed, have you got good continuity of staff and good recruitment methods?
Heavy use of agency staff can mean staff members who are less reliable and accountable, meaning the overall quality of care can slip. Hence inspectors are known to take note of the reliance an organisation places in agency staff.
Increased accountability.
The smart rating system enables an organisation to rate a nurse in a range of areas from 1 – 5 after every shift. Nurses are aware of how impactful their overall rating is on their future work prospects on the platform, increasing accountability and performance during and after their shifts.
If You Are Rated Inadequate or Requires Improvement
Getting an outstanding rating is a huge achievement that only 1 in 200 organisations receive. That’s not a very high percentage, why shouldn’t it be more. If you get an inadequate or requires improvement rating, it is not the end of the world. Take it for what it is.
An opportunity to access the offered support and make things better for everyone involved. The organisation will need to prove itself to the authorities and regain trust, but taking the correct steps and measures will enable you to achieve this with no problem.
