CQC consultation welcomes views on fee proposals

England’s care regulator the has today published a consultation outlining its fee proposals, to affect registered providers from April 2013.

In doing so, the regulator welcomes providers to express their views as it moves towards a fee system that “better reflects activity”, resulting in higher charges for more CQC interventions in order to drive up quality services and reward those that consistently meet good practice.

The consultation states that: “Our aim with additional charges is that higher performing organisations should not pay for the extra costs of regulating low performers,” while also pledging that “We will always retain some flexibility with additional charges so that they do not destabilise a provider who is making progress to improve.”

David Behan, CQC’s chief executive, explains: “We must ensure that any fee we charge is fair and proportionate. We have set out six principles to guide how we will charge fees, while we move towards the Government’s policy of full cost recovery from providers.

“In this consultation we are asking for views about our longer term fees strategy as well as seeking feedback on our proposals for revisions to our current fees scheme and extending it to primary medical services. The changes set out in this consultation demonstrate that we have listened to and acted on the views of service providers.”

On quality services that deserve lesser fess, the consultation paper also states that: “The amounts of reductions may be small – but their impact will be magnified through repeated publicity”.

As well as contributing their views to the process, care sector business owners will also be invited to join a Fees Advisory Panel later in the year in order to continue their collaboration with the regulator on a long-term basis.

The consultation also includes a review of the bandings model, together with querying which care services require more or less regulatory involvement. Online accounts are also being developed for a more modern approach to customer service.

Image: CQC CE David Behan