Charles Walker asks the Health Secretary whether the Care Quality Commission will be responsible for ensuring implementation of recommendations arising from upheld service user and carer complaints.

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Care Quality Commission will be responsible for ensuring that recommendations arising out of upheld service user and carer complaints are implemented. [184178]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Complaints are best dealt with locally. An independent view will be available through the ombudsman, but the emphasis should be on effective, local resolution and local implementation of lessons learned. With excellent local arrangements for dealing with complaints, there will be no need for further external consideration and the responses to our recent consultation 'Making Experiences Count' generally supported this approach.

While the Care Quality Commission will not have a direct role in handling or following up individual complaints (other than complaints that fall to be investigated under section 120 of the Mental Health Act 1983), the Commission will need to take account of concerns, complaints and allegations when determining whether services are being provided safely and are of appropriate quality.

This kind of intelligence will feed into the risk assessments the Commission will make when determining the level of scrutiny it should apply to a particular provider.

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