RCN response to Health Select Committee’s report on the Care Quality Commission

Published: 09 January 2013

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today (January 9) responded to the Health Select Committee’s report on the Care Quality Commission. Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN, said:
“We welcome today’s report by the Health Select Committee and are pleased that the Care Quality Commission is showing tangible signs of improvement. In particular, it is significant that the CQC is now giving attention to the importance of staffing levels and highlighting the effects of inadequate staffing on patient care. We have warned for some time that cuts to staffing levels are posing a direct risk to patient safety.

“We know that the culture of healthcare organisations cannot be regulated, however, we agree with the report that the CQC can play a vital role in ensuring that organisations support staff in raising concerns without fear of retribution. We look forward to continuing our work with the CQC in this area to make sure staff are fully supported.

“We also welcome the CQC’s recruitment of additional inspectors. We hope this will ease the huge pressures on many nurse inspectors, who often deal with caseloads of in excess of 50 organisations each. This is currently a significant concern, and many of our members are worried about what will be missed due to workload pressures.”

Ends

Notes for Editors

1. For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 020 7647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit  http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media

2. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organizations.