Readers might know that the government is moving towards a new registration system for providers of all health and social care services, including now it seems personnel agencies, and recently got to the stage of reporting on their decisions as a result of the consultation last year. This is all because of setting up a joint regulator in the Care Quality Commission.

This provides a list of services that have to register, and will have to have a registered manager:
• Personal care
• Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care
• Accommodation for persons who require treatment for drug and alcohol misuse
• Accommodation and nursing or personal care in the further education sector
• Surgical procedures
• Diagnostic procedures
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
• Services in slimming clinics
• Transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely
• Maternity and midwifery services
• Termination of pregnancy
• Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
• Nursing care
• Management and supply of blood and blood derived products

In a way, this is no different from many of the provisions under the current arrangements, of course, but you can’t help feeling that setting up a general system for such disparate bodies will make the whole thing more unwieldy; no doubt we’ll have even more complicated forms to fill in soon.

The response to the consultation: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_096991