An “Ofsted-style” ratings system for hospitals and care homes in England has been proposed by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in a speech at the King’s Fund in London.
An independent study to look at how a new ratings system could work is already being undertaken by the healthcare think tank, the Nuffield Trust, which is expected to report back with recommendations by the end of March 2013. The inadequacies of the Care Quality Commission’s star-rating system were recognised when it was dropped in July 2010, having been criticised for setting too high a level and not giving an accurate picture of care.
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