To me, CQC is a process where everything is connected – from registration, to monitoring quality and performance, to scoring and rating (and a whole host of stuff in between!). In some respects, it’s like rugby; your kicking game, your defence, your set piece and attack are all linked. But there’s another likeness, one that raises our curiosity, if not our concern: rugby is unpredictable and so too are the CQC.

Whilst the CQC has been promoting the new single assessment framework, which continues to be rolled out across England, one thing they haven’t done, and I doubt they will do, is provide detailed information about the evidence required for each quality statement. I’m not being pessimistic; on the contrary, I’m being realistic. During a webinar, the CQC said that they won’t be providing a prescriptive level of evidence needed to help providers get through the assessment.

If there’s no prescriptive list of evidence, what are the assessors and inspectors going to use to ensure the process is both transparent and consistent? Are the six evidence categories as prescriptive as it gets for now? Thankfully not.

Although not conclusive, the CQC does offer some best practice guidance with each of the quality statements. Couple this with the meaning of the quality statements and you can begin to understand what’s needed to meet the requirements of the quality statement; you can begin to make the connection.

But to gain an understanding and begin to align your evidence is very time-consuming, and one thing that intrigues me is the timing of this roll-out. Why has the CQC picked one of, if not the, busiest time of the year to roll out a new approach? A missing connection perhaps?

Timing aside, let’s engage our optimistic spirit and make the connection between quality statements and evidence categories by looking at the examples in the table below.

The examples of evidence are not exhaustive but illustrate the connection between quality statement, meaning, evidence category and the types of evidence you may wish to consider to live up to the quality statement.

There has never been a definitive connection between the Key Lines of Enquiry, prompts and types of evidence. This has always, in my opinion, been subjective, and what providers have longed for is clarity and consistency. Sadly, that connection still appears to be missing.

If the CQC was to make a connection, then it should be to connect examples of evidence with evidence categories, which would help support consistency during assessments. Maybe that connection could stretch further and there could be examples of evidence aligned with the scores for evidence categories?

There’s still time for the CQC to reach out and connect, so let’s hope Charles Eames was correct when he said, “Eventually everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.

For more information join our free webinar on Understanding the New CQC Framework on Thursday 1st February at 12.30pm or Thursday 29th February at 12.30pm.

Ensure you’re compliant with the Compliance Package from Practice Index – including an easy way to switch from KLOEs to Quality Statements. If you are looking for additional support with understanding and preparing for CQC inspections, the CQC Bundle, part of Practice Index Training, offers customisable options to meet your individual needs.