When the Care Quality Commission (CQC) announced its Return to Good inspections for social care, many providers wondered how much shorter the inspections would be. The quick answer to that question is: shorter than today’s full comprehensive inspections, but about the same length as those we will see under the new draft assessment framework.
The original Single Assessment Framework contains a considerable 34 Quality Statements, whereas the Return to Good assessments focus on just 18. Meanwhile, the draft Adult Social Care Assessment Framework meets in the middle somewhere, introducing a new structure based around 24 Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs).
However, when directly compared side by side, what is looked at under Return to Good is very similar to that under the new proposed framework. Of course, language has been changed and some Quality Statements have been merged or renamed, but the themes CQC has chosen to inspect remain largely the same. That’s not a huge surprise when we consider that all of this is based around the Fundamental Standards – because whatever the framework, the Regulations haven’t changed.
View the Comparison of Return to Good Quality Statements and the Draft Framework here
Conclusion
Inspection methodology continues to evolve, but the foundations of good care remain the same. The Return to Good programme and the draft assessment framework both prioritise safety, leadership, governance, staffing, person-centred care, consent and continuous improvement. For providers, this offers reassurance that continued investment and attention in these core areas will continue to support regulatory compliance, regardless of how the framework develops. And as the Return to Good inspections of today and the new assessment framework of tomorrow are so similar, it allows both providers and the CQC to test how effective the future KLOEs are going to be.