Quality assurance and provider support
Our commitment to quality
We’re committed to working collaboratively with providers to ensure people who use adult social care services receive safe, effective, person-centred, and high-quality support.
The Quality Assurance Team plays a key role in providing oversight of the provider market while supporting continuous improvement across services.
The Quality Assurance Team oversees, assesses, monitors, and supports quality across:
- residential care
- nursing care
- supported living
- domiciliary care
- day opportunities
- respite services
- other commissioned adult social care provision.
Our approach is based on the principle that quality assurance should not simply identify concerns, but also help providers develop, improve and sustain good practice.
How the Quality Assurance Team works
The Quality Assurance Team operates a continuous, intelligence-led, and risk-based assurance model. This means that quality oversight is not limited to planned inspections or review visits.
We use a range of information sources to understand provider performance and identify areas where additional support or intervention may be required. These include:
- safeguarding intelligence and trends
- complaints and feedback
- CQC inspections, ratings, and regulatory information
- provider engagement and improvement activity
- workforce and staffing information
- quality assurance reviews and action plans
- performance and service quality intelligence.
This approach enables us to identify emerging risks early, respond proportionately and provide support where improvements are required.
Quality assurance reviews
Our quality assurance reviews are carried out using a structured and evidence-based framework aligned to:
- Care Act 2014
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- CQC Fundamental Standards
- Equality Act 2010 and relevant governance requirements.
Reviews may include examination of:
- care plans and risk assessments
- medicines management arrangements
- safeguarding practice
- staffing, recruitment, training and competency
- governance systems and internal audits
- environmental safety and service delivery arrangements.
Depending on the level of identified risk, activity may include full quality reviews, focused reviews, desktop assurance, thematic audits, unannounced visits, action plan monitoring and provider engagement meetings.
How we monitor providers
The provider market is diverse and continually changing. Not all providers require the same level of oversight and therefore quality assurance activity is proportionate to risk.
Providers with strong governance arrangements and positive quality indicators may receive routine monitoring and desktop assurance activity.
Providers where risks have been identified may receive enhanced monitoring, targeted reviews and more frequent engagement.
All providers delivering services to our residents receive annual quality oversight through a combination of:
- quality reviews
- monitoring
- safeguarding intelligence
- action plan follow-up
- provider engagement.
Supporting provider improvement
The Quality Assurance Team aims to work alongside providers to support improvement.
Where areas for development are identified, providers will receive clear feedback and improvement actions. We’ll work with providers to:
- develop quality improvement plans
- understand regulatory and governance expectations
- identify and address areas of risk
- monitor progress and evidence improvements
- share learning and good practice
- support sustainable service development.
Action plans are monitored and validated through evidence-based review, helping providers demonstrate improvements and maintain high standards of care.
Working in partnership
Quality assurance is most effective when delivered collaboratively.
To promote quality, safety, and market sustainability, the Quality Assurance Team works closely with:
- providers
- commissioning colleagues
- safeguarding teams
- operational social care teams
- the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- NHS partners.
Our aim is to create an open and transparent relationship with providers. This supports learning, promotes continuous improvement, and ultimately improves outcomes for people who use services.
Provider self-assessment
As part of our commitment to supporting quality improvement, we encourage providers to undertake regular self-assessment against the standards used within the quality assurance framework.
Providers may find it helpful to review their service against the following key areas:
- safe care and treatment
- safeguarding practice
- medicines management
- care planning and risk management
- staffing, training and competency
- governance and leadership
- Mental Capacity Act and consent
- environment and service safety
- quality monitoring and continuous improvement.
Providers who monitor performance, identify risks and implement improvements are more likely to achieve positive outcomes for the people they support and maintain strong assurance ratings.