CQC inspections of ICSs are to be delayed until after the general election on 4 July, the CQC has confirmed.
Inspections were due to start in the first week of April, but CQC had announced a delay to this last month, following discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). It had said the inspections would be delayed until further notice.
On a statement on its website on Friday (24 May), CQC confirmed this date would not be before the general election on 4 July, and that it would seek approvals for its new assessment methodology from the new government.
It said: ‘The methodology we will use to carry out our ICS assessments is subject to government approval under the Health and Care Act 2022.
‘We submitted our proposed ICS assessment methodology to DHSC earlier this year. We have since been engaging with DHSC to further refine our approach to reporting our findings to ensure that our assessment reports are meaningful. We are continuing to engage with ICSs and other stakeholders on this.
‘After the general election due to take place on 4 July, we will be engaging with the new government to obtain the approvals required to begin our assessments.’
It added that the reports of CQC’s pilot assessments, evaluations of pilots and updated guidance and approach would be published following government approval, and prior to the assessments starting.
Earlier this month, the DHSC said the CQC would be facing a review into its ‘operational effectiveness’, led by North West London ICS chair Penny Dash.
