26 July 2010
Cynthia Bower, CQC Chief Executive, has welcomed the publication of the Department of Health’s Arm's Length Bodies review, saying: “I'm pleased the Department has underlined the importance of integrated health and social care regulation, which we believe can be a real lever to improve the quality of care. The report recognises the hard work CQC has put in to deliver registration of the NHS on time while moving to a more cost effective model.
“In taking on the licensing functions of the HFEA and HTA, we will be looking to preserve the specialist expertise within these bodies. We already regulate a number of sectors where it’s vital to have in-depth knowledge – the rights of people detained under the Mental Health Act, for example – and are confident we can build on what these two bodies have achieved so far.
“We look forward to working with the Department to develop these proposals in more detail, and will be working with Monitor in particular on the single licence for all care providers.”
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Notes to editors
About the CQC: Snippet for press releases
About the Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.
We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.