The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) five-year plan aims to develop a shared data set so that providers are only asked for care quality information once.
The report, Shaping the future, said the CQC aims to agree a data request with the General Medical Council and NHS England so that GP practices only need to provide a single of their quality based on five questions.
The five questions surround safety, effectiveness, responsiveness, leadership and level of care.
The report recognises that with multiple definitions of care quality in use, the CQC does not always make the best use of the information that services them, leading providers to unnecessarily commit resources to meeting different information requests.
The report also reveals that the CQC will begin inspecting GP practices rated as good and outstanding at intervals of five years.
However this is subject to practices providing accurate data and confidence that quality has remained at a high standard.
David Behan, chief executive of the CQC, said: “We’re developing our approach to reflect changes in the sectors we regulate – effective regulation doesn’t occur in a vacuum.
“But our role remains the same: consistently assessing quality of care using the information we and others gather; using what we know to help drive change and improvement; and acting swiftly to ensure people are protected from poor care.”
In addition to promoting a single view of quality, the five-year plan outlines three other priorities, including encouraging improvement, innovation and sustainability in care, delivering an intelligence-driven approach to regulation and improving efficiency and effectiveness.
Peter Wyman, CQC chair, added: “Over the next five years the health and social care sector will need to adapt, and we do not underestimate the challenges that services face.
“Demand for care has increased as more people live for longer with complex care needs, and there is strong pressure on services to control costs.
“Success will mean delivering the right quality outcomes within the resources available.
The report adds that the CQC will know when they have succeeded when, “people trust and use our expert, independent judgements about the quality of care”.
