The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has reported that there will be no charges brought against four ex-police officers involved in the early stages of the investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence 30 years ago. According to the head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, Nick Price, ‘Charges of misconduct in public office were considered concerning the four officers’ management of the initial six weeks of the murder investigation’. However, the CPS has decided not to bring criminal charges against the suspects, nor will there be any charges brought in relation to an investigation by the National Crime Agency into ‘allegations of perjury by a suspect who alleged corruption in the initial murder investigation as it also did not meet our legal test for prosecution.’ The CPS has also confirmed that Lawrence’s family may still exercise the right to review the CPS’ decision to abandon prosecution, as the decision is subject to the Victim’s Right of Review (VRR) scheme.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a fixed penalty notice of £4,000 to Dr Saad Shakir Mohamad Al-Dujaily for carrying out the regulated activity of surgical procedures without being registered to do so, breaching the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Inspectors were notified on 17 October 2018 when a baby was admitted to Whipps Cross Hospital after undergoing a circumcision procedure performed by Dr Al-Dujaily in his surgery in Leytonstone.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a fixed penalty notice of £4000 to Medicar European, the maximum amount allowed in law. CQC Inspectors found the provider was not registered with the CQC and had transported 28 patients between 24 July 2020 and 7 August 2020 in breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The Act provides that it is an offence to carry out a regulated activity, such as providing transport services, triage and medical advice remotely without prior registration with the CQC.

This Practice Note provides a summary of key prosecutions for health and social care offences brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England since 2015. This tracker is intended to assist practitioners in monitoring the type of sentences which are being imposed for breaches of health and social care legislation. For information about the role, powers and functions of the CQC, see Practice Notes: Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Care Quality Commission—inspections and reviews. The CQC is the lead enforcement agency under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (HSCA 2008) for the safety and quality of treatment and care matters involving a health or adult social care service provider which is registered with CQC. The power to commence a criminal prosecution is just one of a range of enforcement powers available to the CQC and for details of the range of enforcement powers available to the CQC, see Practice Note: Care Quality Commission—enforcement powers. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), local authorities and the police/Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) also have responsibility for the investigation

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its annual assessment of the state of health and social care in England for 2023 to 2024. The CQC's 'State of Care 2023/24' report explores the emerging trends, provides examples of good and outstanding care, and identifies areas requiring improvement over the preceding year. It calls attention to issues across primary, community, social care, mental health and secondary care services, including long waits, unmet needs, workforce challenges, safety concerns, and inequalities in access and outcomes. It also stresses the need for reform of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals' rights.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published the Pioneer Fund project progress update. This project aims to create a framework for Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) to assess and enhance its community engagement, ultimately reducing health inequalities by listening to local communities, understanding their needs and ⁠identifying effective strategies. The project now enters its testing phase, set to begin in Autumn 2024. Four volunteer ICSs will pilot the draft framework, chosen for its diverse demographics, geography, deprivation levels, and experience tackling health inequalities. The objectives of the testing phase includes refining the framework based on feedback, developing guidance and learning materials for ICSs, ensuring the tool is practical and effective for ICSs and maximising impact for communities experiencing health inequality. The framework and accompanying guidance is scheduled to be launched in Spring 2025.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its 2024 national maternity survey findings which reveal a mixed picture of maternity care in England. While mental health support has improved, with 76% of respondents being asked about their mental health during antenatal check-ups and 89% receiving mental health support, there are concerning trends in other areas. The survey indicates a five-year decline in confidence and trust in maternity staff, as well as poorer experiences reported by certain ethnic groups and women with long-term mental health conditions. CQC's Director of Secondary and Specialist Care has called for increased national action and additional capital investment to address these issues and ensure consistent, high-quality maternity care across England.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its annual report, which analyzes inspection and ratings data to assess the state of health and social care in England for 2024–25. The report reflects the implementation of the single assessment framework (SAF), deployed by the CQC in January 2024, with the ratings providing an evolving picture of care quality. Although the CQC's assessment activity has been based on the risks to individuals using health and adult social care services, the SAF assessments in some sectors remain insufficient to represent all services adequately.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published final guidance to assist providers in understanding and meeting the new fundamental standard on visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices, following a consultation that ran between 9 January to 20 February 2024. This guidance has been published ahead of the timescale set out for Regulation 9A of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, SI 2014/2936 to come into force on 6 April 2024.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report with the findings from its recent national maternity inspection programme. Between August 2022 and December 2023, CQC inspected 131 maternity units. Findings from the CQC inspection of 131 maternity units includes ⁠48% of units required improvement or were inadequate overall, only 35% met good standards for safety, 47% required improvement and 18% were inadequate in safety. The CQC's report highlights the need for consistent, high-quality care across all maternity units. The CQC has published a series of online resource materials aimed at sharing good practice and encouraging improvement in NHS hospital maternity services.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued its response to the final report of Dr Penny Dash’s review and the first report of the independent review by Professor Sir Mike Richards. Dr Penny Dash addressed the operational effectiveness of the CQC. The report makes seven recommendations which include rapid improvement of operational performance; rebuilding expertise within the organisation; reviewing the single assessment framework (SAF) and how it is implemented to ensure that it is fit for purpose; transparency in calculation of results; evolving and improving local authority assessments; formally pausing assessments of integrated care systems and strengthening sponsorship arrangements. Professor Sir Mike Richards, whose review of the CQC was commissioned by the board of the CQC to complement Dr Penny Dash's report, addressed the SAF and its implementation. Key recommendations made by Professor Sir Mike Richards are reverting to the previous organisational structure; cross-directorate working; simplifying the SAF; an urgent review of staffing; reinstating the role of Deputy Chief Inspector; increasing the number of inspection team staff and suspending the use of evidence categories and scoring. The CQC has issued its response to the reports and has committed to appointing at least three chief inspectors to lead on regulation and improvement of hospitals, primary care and adult social care services; modifying the current assessment framework to make it simpler and more relevant to all sectors; ensuring that the right systems are in place to support the CQC's regulatory activity and, finally, improving the experience for providers registered with the CQC.

A round-up of the latest news from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), including two services at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have had their rating downgraded to inadequate as well as one service run by Gloucestershire Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust and a maternity service at Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust being rated as good.