Website of the Department of Health

Response to consultation on the framework for the registration of health and adult social care providers and consultation on draft Regulations

This document serves two main purposes:

• it provides the Government's response to the consultation we held during spring 2008: the future regulation of health and adult social care in England: a consultation on the framework for the regulation of health and adult social care, on the new registration framework to be introduced from 2010; and
• it launches a consultation on the wording of the draft Regulations on the scope of registration and the registration requirements that we are planning to set before Parliament this year under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The consultation will run from 30 March to 29 May 2009.

The consultation also seeks views on a number of other policy proposals that will support the registration framework. Following the consultation, we will draft Regulations on these policies and lay them before Parliament.

From 1 April 2009 the Care Quality Commission takes over from the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission. From April 2010, the Commission will roll out a new registration system based on the Regulations we are now consulting on. The Commission is developing the principles of its methodology and criteria for assessing compliance with the requirements and will consult on them in due course.

The draft Regulations in this publication set out who will need to register with the new Commission (scope of registration) and what they will need to do to register and remain registered (registration requirements).

The registration system will operate alongside a wider quality improvement framework that encourages not just good care, but excellent care. The Commission will have a role in contributing to ongoing quality improvement as part of the wider quality framework, particularly through its publication of comparable information in periodic reviews, and its power to conduct special reviews into areas of particular interest.

This publication will be of interest to anyone providing or working in health and adult social care, and to patients and people using services, who are interested in how the reforms are going to improve these services.

• Consultation document
• Download impact assessment (PDF, 570K)
• Download word-processable consultation questionnaire (RTF, 25K)