Registration allows the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to give the public assurance that wherever they receive care or treatment, they can be confident that essential, common standards of safety and quality are being met. CQC strives to operate in accordance with better regulation principles, particularly to minimise regulatory burden.
The CQC has advised us that it does not require a set number of policies from providers seeking registration. It does, however, require that providers have policies in place relating to the management of their organisation, and can demonstrate that they have a good infrastructure in place to deliver safe care.
Under the current Care Standards Act 2000, CQC refers any queries about which policies might be appropriate to the list of suggested policies in the National Minimum Standards for Independent Health. This was published in February 2002 following extensive consultation with the sector in 2001.
The CQC is now in the process of registering all providers of health and adult social care under a new system of registration in line with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
This new system will apply to independent health care providers, including hospices, from 1 October 2010. CQC is intending to send high level guidance on how to apply for registration to hospices shortly. The CQC's guidance about compliance which sets out how providers can comply with the new registration regulations is already available on its website at:
www.cqc.org.uk/publications.cfm?fde_id=13512
Registration provides assurance to users of registered services that the care that a provider delivers at least meets essential levels of safety and quality. It is a standard principle that organisations that are regulated should meet the cost of regulation. The Care Quality Commission is responsible for setting the level of fees that are paid by different providers and is required to consult on these fees.