What the regulator wants to know before issuing a CQC registration certificate?
There are specific parts of your service that the healthcare regulator will survey before issuing a CQC certificate of registration. Read on to learn more about some key details that should be appraised and actioned before applying for healthcare registration.
The term ‘regulation’ can be deemed in a negative context and viewed as the burden, one not to be attempted. But in the context of healthcare would we be content without regulation? Interestingly those in the remit of aesthetic medicine are the only group of medical professionals who still have the choice of whether to register with the government healthcare regulator. In no other field of medicine is this the case and nor would we want it to be. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) was established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. However it is only more recently that a large proportion of the aesthetic world has focused its attention on the values and power of the CQC.
So why would you consider registration with the healthcare regulator if you still have a choice? There are many reasons but first and foremost is that it is the only external organisation that will examine your service without any other motive than to assure safety. So safety is key to your planning before any part of the application is approached.
· How do you assure safety?
· What mechanisms are in place to demonstrate good governance?
· What declaration can you make that ensure you learn from past errors?
All of this information will assure the inspector that you are serious about governance and that your business is not only a successful clinic but also a provider of firm healthcare provision. Once you have a certificate of registration in place this can be a superlative marketing opportunity. What better way to assure your patients and future patients of a safe, caring, effective service provision than the stamp of approval by the government regulator. The discussion around regulation and governance in the area of aesthetic medicine has never been more debated. Medical practitioners in the United Kingdom are strongly arguing the need for more stringent governance. The public are the audience to this debate, they know the Care quality Commission as the regulator of their local dental practice their hospital and their GP. This will become the seal of approval that is sought when choosing who to appoint as their aesthetic practitioner. The certificate of assurance should be celebrated and marketed.
So what to do now?
· Examine your business ethos and plan moving forward
· Question how registration with the regulator would benefit your service?
· Equally consider why you would not want to register your business?
· Consider the future, are you ready for regulation changes?
To conclude if registration is not right for your business at this moment in time, start to prepare your service for when the time will be right. You may choose to appoint a company to support you through the process. Many are embarking on the CQC registration process with little or no understanding of the requirements or prerequisite evidence. Services like the one offered by Inspire to Outstand Ltd aim to reduce the uncertainty of regulation by supporting the practitioner or manager through the registration process.
Tracey Jones is a director at Inspire to Outstand Ltd and a published author. She is a registered nurse educated to master’s level and is a qualified senior university lecturer. Tracey is a senior fellow of the higher education academy and has a wealth of experience in healthcare regulation.