Challenging CQC Inspection Reports

From ensuring that a simple but misleading inaccuracy is corrected to preparing judicial review proceedings to force the regulators to revise the overall rating from Requires Improvement to Good or from Good to Outstanding, our team has done it all.

CASE STUDY: SECURING RECOGNITION AS AN OUTSTANDING SERVICE – CHALLENGING INSPECTION REPORTS USING A FOCUSED FACTUAL ACCURACY RESPONSE

Background: A care home that had gradually moved from a rating of Requires Improvement to Good over a number of years was working towards achieving a rating of outstanding. The next inspection resulted in a draft inspection report with ratings of Good in four categories and a rating of Outstanding in the caring category. On the suggestion of a fellow provider, the director contacted Errol Archer and his team.

Our expert input: Having reviewed the draft report Errol Archer held a strategy meeting with the provider. Noting that the report was overwhelmingly positive and acknowledged that the home “is exceptionally well led”, our advice was to focus attention, in particular, on the Well Led category. A similarly positive narrative in the Responsive and Safe categories, justified further investigations.

Working together as a team, we carried out detailed analysis and identified additional relevant evidence in these categories, with an emphasis on the Well Led category.

Outcome: Following CQC’s consideration of the factual accuracy response, the narrative was revised to further document examples of outstanding service and the rating of the Well Led category was revised from Good to Outstanding. With two categories now rated as Outstanding and the others as Good, the overall rating was revised to Outstanding. 

KEY POINTS:

• Analyse the draft report objectively to identify where to focus your efforts, and develop a strategy.
• Avoid a scattergun approach to when responding to draft inspection reports.