24 Oct 2007
Commenting on the announcement by health secretary Alan Johnson, Dr Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents 95% of NHS Organisations said:
"We welcome the creation of a new regulator as a definite move in the right direction. The new regulator should be driven by three guiding principles:
"First, the Care Quality Commission must drive up standards across the NHS and not increase the regulatory and bureaucratic burden on NHS organisations. Regulators must make the case for additional information on the basis of their legal remit.
"Second, we would like to see a risk based model centred on self assessment - building on the new approach of the annual health check. The Commission should also learn from other regulators such as Ofcom and the FSA which tailor their work according to the type and size of organisation they are looking at.
Finally, the new regulator must not signal a 'year zero' approach that discards what has gone before. The annual health check will be only 4 years old when the Care Quality Commission is established. Both the Healthcare Commission and NHS organisations are really starting to get to grips with this new regime as a means of improving patient care and monitoring performance. It is also important for the public at large that there is a clear sense of continuity so that they are reassured about who is monitoring their health services and where they should go to for information about their local NHS organisations."
The NHS Confederation represents more than 95% of the organisations that make up the NHS. Its members include the majority of NHS acute trusts, ambulance trusts, foundation trusts, mental health trusts, primary care trusts, special health authorities and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
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Last reviewed 30 Oct 2007