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Inspection concordat

Anna Walker - Chief Executive, Healthcare Commission

Healthcare Inspection Concordat was launched on 24 June 2004 by the Healthcare Commission.

The Concordat has been developed by the inspecting bodies, in conjunction with the service, and is centred around a set of objectives aimed at:
 - delivering more consistent and coherent programmes of inspection
 - improving services for patients, clients and their carers
 - reducing unnecessary burdens of inspection on staff providing healthcare

The Healthcare Commission, in their role as lead inspectorate for health, are taking forward its implementation.

The Concordat has been a significant achievement in its own right, with twenty of the main inspecting bodies in healthcare now formally signed up to its principles. It has been worthwhile, having produced some real benefits since its launch, such as more co-operative approaches to scheduling reviews, less burdensome processes of review and communication, better understanding of potential overlaps, and scope for complementary learning.

However, the Healthcare Commission recognise that there is still more to do to reduce the burden of inspection and continues to work with signatories to embed the concordat principles within their organisations. Ten of the major insepecting bodies signed up to the Concordat when it was first published (NHS Estates has since been disbanded), and the healthcare Commission have since extended membership to the concordat out to a second wave of signatory bodies. As part of the second wave, the Department has agreed to corporately sign up as an associate signatory to the concordat, and we are currently worknig through what this means in practice.