Our strategy for 2013 to 2016

We are making radical changes to the way we inspect and regulate services to make sure they provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care, and to encourage them to make improvements.

We will make sure that above all else, we are always on the side of people who use care services and always put their interests first.

The changes we’re making include:

• appointing a Chief Inspector of Hospitals, a Chief Inspector of Social Care and Support, and considering the appointment of a Chief Inspector of Primary and Integrated Care.
• developing new fundamental standards of care.
• making sure inspectors specialise in particular areas of care and lead teams that include clinical and other experts, and Experts by experience (people with experience of care).
• introducing national teams in NHS hospitals that have specialist expertise to carry out in-depth reviews of hospitals with significant or long-standing problems.
• improving our understanding of how well different care services work together by listening to people’s experiences of moving between different care services.
• publishing better information for the public, including ratings of services.
• strengthening the protection of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act.

The changes will come into effect in NHS hospitals and mental health trusts first. This is because we recognise there is an urgent need for more effective inspection and regulation of these services. We will then extend and adapt our approach to other sectors between 2014 and 2016.

Read Our strategy and business plan for more information on the changes we will be making to the way we work.