WIREDGOV

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recently published a consultation about the fees that it will be charging to registered providers in 2013/14.

The fees providers pay ensures CQC can carry out the job it is committed to delivering – driving improvement in the quality and safety of care people receive by checking that health and care services meet national standards, highlighting what works well and taking swift action when standards aren’t being met.

This year’s consultation includes proposals for the fees for primary medical services (including NHS general practice) when they register with the CQC next April and some changes to the current fees for other providers of health and care services.

CQC is also seeking views on the future direction for fees. In line with Government policy, CQC plans to reach full cost recovery from providers by 2015/16. It also plans to move towards a model in which fee charges will better reflect activity – higher charges for those services which require more interventions, and lower charges which incentivise quality services.

The future direction for fees is closely aligned with CQC’s broader strategic review. CQC will be inviting stakeholders and providers to join a Fees Advisory Panel later this year to help finalise these proposals and work with us on an ongoing basis as we continue to develop our fees model.

The main proposals for the April 2013 fees scheme relate to:

• Redefining fees categories.
• The fees NHS GP providers, and other providers of primary medical services will pay when they become registered from 1 April 2013.
• A change to the fees banding for primary dental services
• An increase in fees for single specialty independent hospitals.
• A decrease in the fees for individual mobile diagnostic providers.
• A change to the category and fee levels for out-of-hours providers.
• Extending the scheme from 1 October 2013 to include independent midwives who will be entering the registration system from that date.

David Behan, CQC’s chief executive, said: “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.”

For press enquiries call the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 during office hours or out of hours on 07917 232 143. For general enquiries call 03000 616161.

About the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. We make sure that care in hospitals, dental practices, ambulances, care homes, people’s own homes and elsewhere meets government standards of quality and safety – the standards anyone should expect whenever or wherever they receive care. We also protect the interests of vulnerable people, including those whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act.

We register services if they meet government standards, we make unannounced inspections of services – both on a regular basis and in response to concerns – and we carry out investigations into why care fails to improve. We continually monitor information from our inspections, from information we collect nationally and locally, and from the public, local groups, care workers and whistleblowers. We put the views, experiences, health and wellbeing of people who use services at the centre of our work and we have a range of powers we can use to take action if people are getting poor care.