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Improving the scaled assessment tool (SIT) - inspector suggestions -
When asked to comment on how they might improve the SIT, the majority of
inspectors (78.5%) stated that it should be embedded within the iConnect
platform which inspectors use on a daily basis.
Analysis of the Vignette - The majority of inspectors advised the researcher
(78.5%) that they viewed governance arrangements as being the fundamental
indicator of risk within a Care Home; 10 inspectors (71.4%) told the researcher
that no formal guidance existed for inspectors in terms of established score
boundaries which may be applied in a uniform manner by the CHT when
describing and/or understanding the level of assessed risk & that this deficit
potentially compromised the consistency of the RADaR approach.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The interrogation and use of regulatory data lies at the heart of effective
regulatory decision making so that resources can be directed at where lies the
greatest risks. In a world of increasing accountability and finite resources,
regulators must clearly demonstrate that they act in a proportionate and targeted
manner by optimising the use of any data they hold. It is against this backdrop
that the RADaR scaled assessment tool is used by the RQIA Care Home's
Team and it is inspectors' experiences of using this very tool has been explored
within this research.
Eight key recommendations flowed from the findings of this research, namely:
Recommendation: It is recommended that whatever mechanism of Care Home
risk assessment is further implemented by RQIA, it should be fully embedded
into the formal enforcement process so as to reinforce its importance among
individual inspectors and further wed the concept of evidence based, risk
orientated decision making to any enforcement actions taken.
Recommendation: It is recommended that further thought be given by RQIA as
to how to develop the proactive (rather than reactive) element of Care Home risk
assessment. This should involve further exploration as to how RQIA's digital
systems can better process, analyse and 'flag' predictors of risk to inspectors in
a timely and ongoing manner.
Recommendation: It is recommended that inspectors' caseload sizes should
be reviewed and, if necessary and achievable, amended so as to allow
inspectors increased time to interrogate regulatory data from a risk assessing
perspective so as to inform any required regulatory actions. If a reduction in