Amidst a changing global climate, the care industry especially has been forced by the pandemic to change and develop the meaning of safety and care for the foreseeable future. Clinical thought and care have focused the sector's effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from every care operator and worker in the form of social distancing measures and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).
Experiences of the health and social care services across England are changing due to these precautionary measures being put into place, and the effort behind it has not gone unnoticed. The increased responsibilities of care workers have demonstrated how challenging, yet momentous, a career in care can be, especially for those working on the front line of the outbreak that we are facing at the moment.
As a nation, we have recognised these challenging times and research has shown that people are feeling more grateful for being surrounded by specialised staff who have shown commitment in their duty to provide care and protection. Furthermore, close to two thirds (57%) of people have been inspired to better support the NHS and other social care services through providing feedback as well as donating/fundraising for various health causes.
The pandemic has brought attention and therefore a more concerted effort to better the standards of care across the country. The position we currently find ourselves in could serve as a turning point in history for the way in which care is received, potentially improving standards for you, as well as friends, family and wider communities.
Meeting the CQC requirements is essential to the integration of improved care standards across the UK, as well as ensuring the safety of staff and those in care. These requirements are massively significant across countless careers and places of work, from schools to care homes and many more.
The Care Quality Commission has identified 13 fundamental criteria that govern the standards that a care provider must abide by:
You must not suffer any form of abuse or improper treatment while receiving care. This includes:
Related courses: Conflict Management, Safeguarding Adults Awareness, Safeguarding Children Awareness
You must have care or treatment that is tailored to you and meets your needs and preferences.
Related courses: Person Centred Care Awareness, Personal Care
You must be treated with dignity and respect at all times while you're receiving care and treatment. This includes making sure:
Related courses: Dignity, Privacy and Respect Awareness
You, or anybody legally acting on your behalf, must give your consent before any care or treatment is given to you.
You must not be given unsafe care or treatment or be put at risk of harm that could be avoided.
Providers must assess the risks to your health and safety during any care or treatment and make sure their staff have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience to keep you safe.
Related courses: Fall Prevention Awareness, Choking Prevention and Resuscitation Awareness, COSHH Awareness
You must have enough to eat and drink to keep you in good health while you receive care and treatment.
Related courses: Diet and Nutrition Awareness
In places where you receive care and treatment, the equipment used must be clean, suitable and looked after properly. The equipment must also be secure and used properly.
Related courses: Evacuation Chair, Moving and Handling of People Awareness
You must be able to question your care and treatment. The provider of your care must have a system in place so they can handle and respond to your complaint. They must investigate it thoroughly and take action if problems are identified.
Related courses: Complaints Handling
The provider of your care must have plans that ensure they can meet these standards. They must have effective governance and systems to check on the quality and safety of care. These must help the service improve and reduce any risks to your health, safety and welfare.
Related courses: Information Governance Awareness
The provider of your care must have enough suitably qualified, competent and experienced staff to make sure they can meet these standards. Their staff must be given the support, training and supervision they need to help them do their job.
Related courses: Communication and Record Keeping
The provider of your care must be open and transparent with you about your care and treatment. Should something go wrong, they must tell you what has happened, provide support and apologise.
Related courses: Duty of Care Awareness
The provider of your care must display their CQC rating in a place where you can see it. They must also include this information on their website and make our latest report on their service available to you.
The CQC standards are designed to improve conditions in a place of care. However, they are capable of implementing a much wider range of improvements across a business. Through this, open-mindedness and intuitive thinking are heavily encouraged, which should result in a smoothly run and effectively managed workplace.
These guidelines apply to every nursery, every care home, every hospital and countless other workplaces. They act as the foundations on which to build a professional and effective place of care.
As an individual in any position, you are protected by the standards. By taking a course on one of the subjects above you are empowering yourself and ensuring the knowledge you gained can help you know exactly how you should be cared for and also how you can protect those around you effectively. It will also improve your working skills such as communication and general life preservation.
The reason we are able to group these standards as ‘the guardians’ of the future of the care industry is for the simple, yet fundamental, value of safety. Covid-19 has clearly demonstrated to us throughout this year, that proper standards of care are an absolute necessity for the whole country. No matter the position you hold in a business, the CQC standards are in place to work in your favour, to keep you safe at work and to ensure the care you are receiving is regulated.
Take a look at our training courses to learn how you can help to improve yourself, your business and the care industry as a whole. For further information concerning CQC requirements, go to our CQC Required training page, where you will also find related courses.