CQC warns councils on social care spending cuts as it issues guidance on care providers registration scheme

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published guidance on the quality and safety standards for its new registration system, warning councils not to allow spending cuts to diminish the quality of adult social care.

The CQC has issued three guidance documents on how providers should comply, including a new judgement framework which the Commission’s inspectors will use to judge compliance with the regulations.

The CQC said that the new registration requirements will be more stringent than before and that exisiting registered providers cannot assume that they will automatically meet the criteria under the new regime.

The scheme will apply to NHS trusts and to local authorities and independent providers from October 2010.

Katherine Bower, chief executive of the CQC, warned councils: "I am deeply concerned about the potential impact of lower spending on social care. We all know there are choppy waters ahead, so the issue is how well the system responds to the situation. We plan to be particularly vigilant about this on behalf of people who use services."

A further key change is that the CQC will give greater weight to the views of people using services in making its judgements. “The guidance focuses on people rather than policies, on outcomes rather than systems,” the CQC stated.

The CQC will have tougher enforcement powers, which include restricting, suspending or removing the care providers' registrations and has promised to use them “to protect people's safety, dignity and rights”.