A Bill to establish and make provision in connection with a Care Quality Commission; to make provision about health care (including provision about the National Health Service) and about social care; to make provision about reviews and investigations under the Mental Health Act 1983; to establish and make provision in connection with an Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator and make other provision about the regulation of the health care professions; to confer power to modify the regulation of social care workers; to amend the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984; to provide for the payment of a grant to women in connection with pregnancy; to amend the functions of the Health Protection Agency; and for connected purposes.
<p>The Bill seeks to enhance professional regulation and create a new integrated regulator, the Care Quality Commission, for health and adult social care, with focus on providing assurance about the safety and quality of care for patients and service users.</p><p><strong>Key areas</strong></p><ul><li><span>Assures the safety and quality of care and creates a new regulator, the Care Quality Commission</span></li><li><span>Equips the new regulator with tougher powers, backed by fines, to inspect, investigate and intervene where hospitals are failing to meet hygiene standards</span></li><li><span>Strengthens clinical governance and reforms the system of professional regulation to ensure it earns and sustains the confidence of patients, professionals and Parliament</span></li><li><span>Extends financial support to mothers-to-be from the 29th week of pregnancy</span></li><li><span>Ensures all healthcare professional regulatory bodies use the civil, rather than criminal, standard of proof</span></li><li><span>Creates an independent adjudicator to undertake independent and objective formal adjudication for the professional regulatory bodies</span></li><li><span>Ensures that all healthcare organisations employing or contracting with doctors appoint a 'responsible officer' to work with the GMC to identify and handle cases of poor professional performance by doctors</span></li><li><span>Updates the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 with the aim of providing a more effective and proportionate response to infectious disease.</span></li></ul>