CQC again fails to conform to the standards of transparency it sets for others
I asked the Care Quality Commission what I assumed would be a fairly easy question for them to answer. Do they have a policy that gives clear and explicit instructions to inspectors not to interrupt staff involved in emergency interventions?Apparently it is not. After several attempts, I have still not had a straight answer. The answers have ranged from the evasive ("Our inspectors have guidelines to suspend inspections during major incidents" - no, thats not the question I asked) to the outright defensive ("Inspectors are often medical staff, including from A&E's. They wouldn't interrupt an emergency procedure"). Do they have a policy or not? If not, why not? If they do, what measures do they take to ensure compliance? If an inspector has placed a patient potentially at risk by interrupting staff during an emergency medical intervention, what would be the procedure for investigating?
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who can ensure that the CQC do not blunder through a hospital causing disruption? After all, any complaints to the CQC about the conduct of their staff risk prejudicing the CQC's report on that hospital. I hope the CQC will see fit to make a proper response; after all, this is an important issue which the public and press would be rightly interested in.
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