HOSPITAL inspections have been branded “unfit for purpose” as significant failings were exposed in a damning report.
Cabinet Office minister Wes Streeting has promised to change NHS assessments after it was revealed that some inspectors had never set foot in a hospital.
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The Health Secretary intervened after reading an interim report which concluded that the Care Quality Commission’s investigations were worse than pre-pandemic levels.
Streeting said: “I was shocked by the extent of his failings. It is clear to me that the CQC is not fit for purpose.”
The report revealed that the CQC had failed to re-inspect some NHS trusts for several years, with one hospital check delayed for more than ten years. Some inspectors have never been to a hospital.
Checks at GP surgeries and nursing homes have also come under attack.
A care home inspector had never met a person suffering from dementia before.
Streeting said: “I have ordered the publication of this interim report so that action can begin immediately. I know this will be a worrying development for patients and families who rely on CQC assessments when making choices about their care.
“I want to reassure you that I am determined to get this crisis under control.”
The dossier, which included evidence from 200 senior managers, carers and doctors, along with 50 CQC managers, was compiled by Dr Penny Dash.
It found that inspection levels were far below those carried out before the pandemic and there was a lack of experience among those carrying them out.
Senior cancer doctor Professor Sir Mike Richards will now be brought in to review the CQC assessments.
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