The CQCs High Level Measures

The latest updates to the CQCs  high level measures on how they are doing against their three key regulatory functions of registration, compliance and enforcement as well as in their customer service standards for 2012 /13 show that;

Registration: 
The CQC is on track to meet its 90% target of processing all applications for new registrations and changes to existing ones.

Compliance: 

This is the measure of how well the CQC is doing against its commitment to inspect services in year. Whilst on track to meet its commitments in NHS Trusts and Adult social care services it is underperforming overall, being behind track in such areas as the independent healthcare services and dental services.

Enforcement: 
The CQC is on track to meet its 90% target of warning notices issued within 14 days of identifying when one is required.

Customer services: 
The CQC is currently ahead of its target of answering 90% of calls in the prioritised area of safeguarding and mental health answered within 30 seconds.

If you would like more information on the standards set by the CQC and how you can meet them, visit Words Worth Reading Ltd.


Image: Medill DC, Flickr

Updates from the CQC

There have been some useful updates from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during the last month. 

These include:

The CQC have launched a consultation on the fees that they propose to charge health and social care services that are registered with them. The changes for the fees in 2013/14 include:

• Redefining fees categories.
• The fees that NHS GP providers and other primary medical services will pay when they are registered from 1 April 2013.
• A change to the banding of fees for primary dental services.
• An increase in fees for single specialty independent hospitals.
• A decrease in the fees for individual mobile diagnostic providers.
• A change to the category and fee levels for out-of-hours providers.
• Extending the scheme from 1 October 2013 to include independent midwives who will be entering the registration system. 

If you would like more information about how Words Worth Reading Ltd can help when applying and preparing for CQC registration, visit our website. 

It's Personal: Spotlight shone on 'purchased' UCAS personal statements

In the university application process, the personal statement has always been vital. It’s been the student’s opportunity to showcase why they would be a valuable addition to an institution and why they deserve a place. It’s been the universities opportunity to decide which students best suit their courses and in the majority of cases, is a replacement for a formal interview. The system has been thrown into scandal however, following an investigation by The Observer which has revealed some students have been buying pre-written personal statements to help them get through the process.

Companies, some of which have been set up by graduates with experience of the current system, are offering bespoke personal statements to prospective under-graduates and charging up to £350 for the forged statement. The lure is understandable; writing a good personal statement is a time-consuming and challenging business, and can take several days. In one case, an investigator posing as a student was able to complete a basic questionnaire covering personal details such as work experience and interests, and was told they could receive their personal statement within 24 hours.

UCAS (University and College Admission Service) has been quick to condemn the practice and has warned students not to risk being caught by their fraud detection software. “It is important to understand that even a bespoke personal statement service carries the risk of being caught by our similarity detection software, which in turn flags this to the universities” says Cathy Gilbert of UCAS (The Guardian, 13/10/2012). Students who are found to have used a forged or purchased personal statement risk being removed from the university application process.

(Source: The Guardian, care of www.theguardian.co.uk, 13/10/2012)

To see a video, care of UCAS, on YouTube which can provide advice on writing your personal statement, click here.

For more information on applying for university or college, visit the UCAS website at www.ucas.ac.uk