Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on trends in the quality of patient hospital care.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is not operationally fit for purpose and has been subject to a review from Penny Dash. It has itself commissioned reviews from Mike Richards and Vic Rayner to support recovery of the organisation. It is working at pace to improve its performance, and the Department is holding the CQC to account to ensure that it oversees safe care of patients, in all settings.

Ministers regularly meet with arms-length bodies, external stakeholders and key organisations to discuss a variety of issues, including but not limited to the quality of patient hospital care. There have also been discussions with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at official level on the trends in maternity and urgent and emergency care.

Patient safety is a top priority for the Government, and the CQC plays an important role in ensuring that providers meet the standards of care expected by patients, carers, families and loved ones.