Healthcare Commission
Encyclopedia
The Healthcare Commission was a non-departmental public body
sponsored by the Department of Health
of the United Kingdom
. It was set up to promote and drive improvement in the quality of health care
and public health
in England
and Wales
. It aimed to achieve this by becoming an authoritative and trusted source of information and by ensuring that this information is used to drive improvement. The Commission was abolished on 31 March 2009 and its responsibilities in England broadly subsumed by the Care Quality Commission
.
(NHS), private healthcare and voluntary organisations in England
.
The Healthcare Commission did this by:
The commission also had the responsibility of coordinating organisations that inspect, regulate or audit health bodies. In order to do this, it established the Concordat between bodies inspecting, regulating and auditing health or social care
.
These functions applied in England, though the Healthcare Commission had a limited role in Wales, complemented by that of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, which is part of the National Assembly for Wales
. The ability to inspect all sectors, provide guidance and act if that guidance is not acted on was possible because the Healthcare Commission is independent of the government.
(CHI) on the 1 April 2004 and also assumed some of the responsibilities of the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) and the Audit Commission
, as well as a number of additional functions.
The legal name for the Healthcare Commission was the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI). It was created by the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.
The Commission's chairman was Professor Sir Ian Kennedy and its chief executive was Anna Walker
.
The Health and Social Care Act 2008
replaced the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection
and the Mental Health Act Commission
with a single, integrated regulator for health and adult social care - the Care Quality Commission
. The Care Quality Commission began operating on 1 April 2009 as a non-departmental public body
.
s were awarded one, two or three stars based upon their performance measured against clinical targets.
From 2006, an annual health check replaced the 'star ratings' assessment system and looked at a much broader range of issues than the targets used previously. It sought to make much better use of the data, judgements and expertise of others to focus on measuring what matters to people who use and provide healthcare services. Trusts had to declare their compliance with the core standards set out in Standards for Better Health
, published by the Department of Health in 2004.
The overall aim of the new assessment of performance, and the information gained through the process, was to promote improvements in healthcare. The annual health check process was designed to use views of patients and users of services as well as robust data sources for the arms-length monitoring of clinical performance. This lessening of the target setting by Whitehall was in line with the 'light touch' strategy set out by Gordon Brown
in his 2005 budget and compatible with the vision proposed by David Cameron
at the 2006 Conservative
conference. It also aimed to help people to make better informed decisions about their care, promote the sharing of information and give clearer expectations on standards of performance.
The new ratings effectively graded NHS organisations on the quality of services and use of resources with services deemed to be one of four levels: Weak - Fair - Good - Excellent. Trusts that met the clinical targets used in the previous star ratings achieved a rating of Fair. Good and Excellent ratings were awarded to organisations that could demonstrate that they had processes in place to improve their services.
Non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...
sponsored by the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was set up to promote and drive improvement in the quality of health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
and public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It aimed to achieve this by becoming an authoritative and trusted source of information and by ensuring that this information is used to drive improvement. The Commission was abolished on 31 March 2009 and its responsibilities in England broadly subsumed by the Care Quality Commission
Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. This includes services provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations -...
.
Role
The Healthcare Commission had a role in promoting quality in healthcare through providing an independent assessment of the standards of services provided by the National Health ServiceNational Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
(NHS), private healthcare and voluntary organisations in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The Healthcare Commission did this by:
- regulating and inspecting NHS, private and voluntary healthcare providers
- reviewing formal complaints about the NHS that have not been resolved
- handling complaints about private and voluntary healthcare service providers
- investigating serious failures in NHS, private and voluntary services
The commission also had the responsibility of coordinating organisations that inspect, regulate or audit health bodies. In order to do this, it established the Concordat between bodies inspecting, regulating and auditing health or social care
Concordat between bodies inspecting, regulating and auditing health or social care
The Concordat between bodies inspecting, regulating and auditing health or social care is a "voluntary agreement between organisations that regulate, audit, inspect or review elements of health and healthcare in England". It is made up of 10 objectives designed to promote closer working between...
.
These functions applied in England, though the Healthcare Commission had a limited role in Wales, complemented by that of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, which is part of the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
. The ability to inspect all sectors, provide guidance and act if that guidance is not acted on was possible because the Healthcare Commission is independent of the government.
History
The Healthcare Commission took over the role of the Commission for Health ImprovementCommission for Health Improvement
The Commission for Health Improvement was a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Health of the United Kingdom from 2001 until 2004, when its functions were subsumed by the Healthcare Commission....
(CHI) on the 1 April 2004 and also assumed some of the responsibilities of the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) and the Audit Commission
Audit Commission
The Audit Commission is a public corporation in the United Kingdom.The Commission’s primary objective is to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government, housing and the health service, directly through the audit and inspection process and also through value for money...
, as well as a number of additional functions.
The legal name for the Healthcare Commission was the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI). It was created by the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.
The Commission's chairman was Professor Sir Ian Kennedy and its chief executive was Anna Walker
Anna Walker
Angela Walker is an English television presenter who has presented such programmes as, Wish You Were Here...?, Big Strong Boys, Holidaymaker, Garden Challenge, Garden Invaders and Tomorrow's World....
.
The Health and Social Care Act 2008
Health and Social Care Act 2008
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Section 170 - Commencement:Orders made under section 170* * *...
replaced the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection
Commission for Social Care Inspection
The Commission for Social Care Inspection was a non-departmental public body and the single, independent inspectorate for social care in England. Its sponsor department was the Department of Health of the United Kingdom...
and the Mental Health Act Commission
Mental Health Act Commission
The Mental Health Act Commission was an NHS special health authority that provided a safeguard for people detained in hospital under the powers of the Mental Health Act 1983 in England and Wales...
with a single, integrated regulator for health and adult social care - the Care Quality Commission
Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. This includes services provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations -...
. The Care Quality Commission began operating on 1 April 2009 as a non-departmental public body
Non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...
.
Annual health check
For the first two years of its existence, the Healthcare Commission continued the annual reporting of NHS providers using star ratings where NHS trustNHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
s were awarded one, two or three stars based upon their performance measured against clinical targets.
From 2006, an annual health check replaced the 'star ratings' assessment system and looked at a much broader range of issues than the targets used previously. It sought to make much better use of the data, judgements and expertise of others to focus on measuring what matters to people who use and provide healthcare services. Trusts had to declare their compliance with the core standards set out in Standards for Better Health
Standards for Better Health
Standards for Better Health are a set of standards that the National Health Service in England must meet. The standards were set out by the Department of Health of the United Kingdom in a document of the same name published in 2004...
, published by the Department of Health in 2004.
The overall aim of the new assessment of performance, and the information gained through the process, was to promote improvements in healthcare. The annual health check process was designed to use views of patients and users of services as well as robust data sources for the arms-length monitoring of clinical performance. This lessening of the target setting by Whitehall was in line with the 'light touch' strategy set out by Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
in his 2005 budget and compatible with the vision proposed by David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
at the 2006 Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
conference. It also aimed to help people to make better informed decisions about their care, promote the sharing of information and give clearer expectations on standards of performance.
The new ratings effectively graded NHS organisations on the quality of services and use of resources with services deemed to be one of four levels: Weak - Fair - Good - Excellent. Trusts that met the clinical targets used in the previous star ratings achieved a rating of Fair. Good and Excellent ratings were awarded to organisations that could demonstrate that they had processes in place to improve their services.
Mission statement
The Healthcare Commission aimed to promote improvement in the quality of NHS and independent healthcare across England and Wales. Among the Commission's functions, these mainly included:- to independently inspect health services from patients' perspective, using standards set out by the Department of Health
- to coordinate NHS inspections with a range of other healthcare organisations in order to minimise disruption to doctors and nurses
- to identify how effectively public funds are used within healthcare - particularly whether tax payers are getting good value for money
- to develop an independent second stage for complaints about the NHS which cannot be resolved locally
- to investigate serious failures in healthcare services
- to publish regular ratings of NHS trusts in England and an annual report on healthcare in England and Wales.