The Care Provider Alliance (CPA) publishes report into the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) Single Assessment Framework (SAF)

The Care Provider Alliance has published its report, CQC Single Assessment Framework (SAF) Review, which is based on a project commissioned by the CQC that sought to examine social care providers’ perspectives of the SAF and thoughts on the future of regulation. CPA members’ approach was for this review to work alongside and complement the previously published independent review of the CQC by Professor Sir Mike Richards.

Professor Vic Rayner OBE, Chair of the CPA commented: “Members of the CPA welcomed the opportunity to garner perspectives from social care providers at the level and scale that are detailed in this review. Members of the Alliance worked at pace to ensure an extremely wide range of voices from a diversity of services, both in terms of size or organisation and service type, fed into the two stages of this project. Over 1,000 respondents completed an online survey which was followed up with detailed workshop discussions with over 100 care providers. It is essential to acknowledge that without the input of each respondent this thorough and robust review would not have been possible.

“This report contains recommendations based around three core areas. The first relates to changes required in the functioning of the Single Assessment Framework. The second talks in detail about care providers’ poor experience of assessment. The final set of recommendations centre around what needs to change in terms of culture and communication internally and externally with the CQC. This detailed report brings forwards care providers’ voices in a way that has not been done before and strengthens the calls for urgent change highlighted in reports produced by both Professor Sir Mike Richards and Dr Penny Dash.”

“We hope that the perspectives raised within this report will resonate with care providers’ experience, and it is positive that the CQC has welcomed this detailed insight into social care. However, there is no time to delay, and the CPA are committed to ensuring that action follows words. The very raw experiences of assessment, and significant challenges highlighted at every level of engagement with the CQC has to be a wake-up call for everyone involved in the regulation of the sector. It is now crucial that they address these recommendations urgently and at pace."

Click here to read the review in full.

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