The independent regulator of health
and social care in England

Update from CQC

28 November 2024

Improving how we work

A pair of glasses resting upon an open blank notebook and an open laptop.

From 2 December, we will be making some urgent interim changes to our approach to provider assessments.

We will stop scoring and reporting at evidence category level for provider assessments. This will mean that we will only produce scores at quality statement level.

This change will mean we will be able to deliver more assessments, at a faster pace, that better reflect the quality in a service.

We will update our guidance to reflect this change.

Bed rails safety alert

A hand resting on a bed rail.

Profiling, adjustable or medical beds (beds) are used extensively in hospitals, care homes and people’s own homes. It is essential that these beds and associated equipment are used correctly and safely to minimize the risk of injury or death to bed occupants.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continue to receive reports of adverse incidents involving beds and equipment, the most serious leading to injury and death. The following guidance, published by the MHRA sets out good practice, aimed at anyone with responsibility for the provision, prescription, use, maintenance, and fitting of beds and associated equipment. This includes the importance of appropriate staff training, correctly following manufacturers' instructions and adequate service and maintenance of beds and equipment.

• MHRA NPSA (relating to beds and equipment)
• MHRA bedrails guidance 
• MHRA medical device guidance
• MHRA medical device checklist

It may not be immediately obvious to consider a bed as a medical device and it is worth noting although the medical device guidance doesn’t list profiling/adjustable beds as a medical device, the accompanying checklist does.  

New online immigration status (eVisa)

Pin flag resting on a blue background

We are advising you of a change to some immigration documents. Biometric residence permits (BRP) and biometric residence cards (BRC), are being replaced with digital proof of immigration, called an eVisa. 

From 31 October, new visa applicants are being issued with eVisas, and existing visa holders who currently prove their rights with a BRP, BRC or a passport containing a visa vignette or ink stamp, will need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. This needs to be completed by 31^st December 2024.  

Some helpful guidance on how to create an eVisa account: 

• Information on what people need to do and by when, including for those who hold a physical immigration document, and a list of grant funded organisations offering support, at www.gov.uk/eVisa.    

• Guidance videos explaining how to access and use eVisa, available at: Online immigration status (eVisa): help videos - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).  
• Download the eVisa Partner Pack - this includes factsheets and guides for organisations, helpful materials to inform your colleagues/organisations you may collaborate with of the transition to eVisa, including a suggested email to send and drag and drop copy for intranets: Partner Pack. 

Other news

• As per our emails on 4 and 12 November we are now no longer accepting any type of registration applications from the provider portal, other than cancellation applications. We are now only accepting applications made using the application form on our website.
• CQC commissioned SQW, supported by The King’s Fund Library Service and Dr Tammy Boyce, to deliver a rapid evidence review and series of interviews to explore how regulators can tackle inequalities experienced by those using or needing services. The latest episode of SQW’s Insight for Impact podcast explores key learnings from this research. CQC’s Lucy Wilkinson joins guest speakers from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Institute of Regulation and SQW, to discuss the findings from the research, key themes and interesting takeaways. The podcast considers implications for CQC and for regulators in all sectors. Listen to the podcast. 
• Registration fee invoices are currently being sent by post to a provider’s registered address. If you are expecting an invoice and have not received it, please email NCSC.Finance@cqc.org.uk to request a copy. Please include your contact details and provider ID. We will email a copy invoice out as soon as possible. We are managing a large number of enquiries at present.
• Subscribe to our WhatsApp channel, where we share the latest updates on our new regulatory approach.