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Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) (Inspections (Designed…
Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)
Info
Quality assurance mechanisms are ways of assessing performance and determining standards. RQIA use data to evaluate the performance of health and social care providers against recognised quality standards
Quality assurance mechanisms can take different forms such as:
Feedback from service users and their families
Monitoring complaints
Outcomes of inspections
Inspections
Designed to help raise the standard of care by focussing service providers on the level of care they should be providing
Can take place with any provider of HSC services. During inspections things like cleanliness, quality of care, facilities, finance and policies
Inspections are conducted by RQIA, informs service users of how well a service is providing care
Inspections are:
available for the public to read
can influence a service user
can make or break a service
standards of care provision can be influenced by inspections
Not fool proof of measuring quality, feedback from service users may not be entirely accurate, not a true reflection of care
RQIA
Established under the health and personal social services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (NI) Order 2003.
An independent body (not biased, impartial), responsible for monitoring and inspecting the availability and quality of health and social care services in NI and encouraging improvements in the quality of services
Involved in monitoring the accessibility to services and play a key role in ensuring the proper management
RQIA inspect nursing, residential care and childrens homes at least twice a year while others are at least once a year (financial side of businesses)
RQIA process
Check to see if the care is safe, if the care is effective, if the service is well-led (effective leadership and management), if the care is compassionate.
RQIA may take enforcement action including:
Issuing notices of failure to comply with regulations
Placing conditions of regulations
Imposing fines
Closing a service
Benefits of RQIA
RQIA have implemented a set of standards to which all-residential care settings must adhere to, this means that when the RQIA visit they expect to see the required standard of care.
settings know exactly what quality of service they should be giving
Possibility of inspection encourages settings to have systems in place to ensure high quality of care
Settings know there will be consequences if they do not meet standards
Inspections are either unannounced or at very short notice (2 hours)
Settings need to maintain high quality of care at all times
Settings will not be able to hide poor care or their weaknesses
Inspection reports are published and given to the setting and include quality of improvement reports which the setting must act upon
ensures when care is poor, it is identified independently
setting must act to improve identified issues and improve care
RQIA expect to see improved standards of care on their next inspection
All parties are aware of the inspection and can monitor the setting
Many inspections happen because of intelligence given, clear mechanism for doing this on the RQIA's website.
Members can report if they have concerns
Quickly identifies poor care and challenges it
ensures care is off the highest quality
Settings should have a good complaints mechanism to address complaints before the RQIA becomes involved