Following the Care Quality Commission’s ('CQC') consultation on proposals for a new excellence award scheme for adult social care services in England, originally to be launched in April 2012, the Department of Health has confirmed that it will not go ahead.
The consultation asked:
- Do you agree with the Social Care Institute for Excellence’s (SCIE) definition of excellence?
- What sort of evidence should be gathered to demonstrate excellence?
- Should the scheme offer a pre-screening process for providers?
- How long should the award last?
- Under what circumstances would a provider lose the award?
The response to this consultation exercise showed that there was a lack of support for the award and the CQC was clear that any award had to be supported by the sector to proceed.
Many care providers remain unhappy with the discarding of the star system following the re-registration process last October and as a result care home owners and home care agencies remain unclear as to how their services and capabilities will be judged in future.
