Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence

Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence
Name	Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence
Formed	2003
Dissolved	2012
Jurisdiction	United Kingdom
Headquarters	London
Superseding	Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care

Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence

The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence was an independent oversight body in the United Kingdom established to scrutinise and promote excellence among statutory health professional regulators. It operated during the administrations of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and David Cameron and reported to the Department of Health and Parliament through public accounts and parliamentary committees. The Council worked alongside institutions such as the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, and Health and Care Professions Council before being succeeded by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.

History

The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence was created following policy developments influenced by inquiries and reports including the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiry and lessons drawn from the responses of bodies like the Care Quality Commission and the NHS Confederation. Its establishment in 2003 reflected recommendations from advisory groups similar to the Shipman Inquiry and responses to regulatory failures highlighted by investigations in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Council’s remit evolved through legislation and ministerial reviews under Secretaries of State such as John Reid and Alan Johnson, and it operated until the passage of statutory reforms that created the Professional Standards Authority in 2012 during the premiership of David Cameron.

Organisation and Governance

The Council comprised appointed members including lay representatives, clinicians and legal experts nominated through processes akin to appointments overseen by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and judged by committees resembling the Public Accounts Committee and the Select Committee on Health. Its governance model incorporated audit arrangements with organisations like the National Audit Office and reporting lines to ministers and to bodies comparable to the Care Quality Commission and regulatory tribunals such as the General Medical Council Fitness to Practise panel. The Council engaged with devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and liaised with professional bodies such as the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of General Practitioners, and Royal College of Nursing.

Functions and Responsibilities

The Council’s functions included performance review, standard-setting advice, and public reporting in relation to regulators such as the General Dental Council, Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, and the Social Work England predecessor arrangements. It conducted fitness-to-practise oversight analogous to the roles of disciplinary bodies like the Independent Police Complaints Commission and provided guidance that informed tribunals similar to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service. The Council contributed to safeguarding frameworks used by the Children’s Commissioner for England and influenced professional regulatory responses to high-profile cases such as those examined by the Francis Report and coroners’ inquests.

Standards and Guidance

The Council developed standards and guidance addressing governance, transparency, and public protection that regulators including the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Medical Council were encouraged to adopt. It published performance review methodologies and applied indicators drawn from comparative work with international bodies such as Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development partners and professional regulators in Australia and Canada. Guidance documents touched on issues handled by tribunals like the Council for Licensed Conveyancers and informed codes similar to those of the Health and Safety Executive in relation to organisational risk management.

Key Initiatives and Projects

Major initiatives included thematic reviews of fitness-to-practise procedures, collaborative projects with the Care Quality Commission on cross-regulatory patient safety, and stakeholder engagement programmes involving the Citizens Advice Bureau, Healthwatch England predecessors, and patient advocacy organisations similar to Age UK. The Council undertook comparative research drawing on regulatory models such as those evaluated in reports by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and convened conferences with representatives from the British Medical Association, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, and international counterparts like the American Medical Association.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques directed at the Council echoed wider debates about regulatory effectiveness following high-profile scandals reviewed by the Francis Inquiry and the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiry. Commentators from outlets such as The Guardian and The Times (London) argued that oversight mechanisms needed stronger statutory powers akin to those given to bodies after legislative changes advocated by MPs on the Health Select Committee. Some professional organisations, including the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing, expressed concern that the Council’s recommendations sometimes led to administrative burdens on regulators such as the General Dental Council and the Health and Care Professions Council.

Category:Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom Category:Regulation in the United Kingdom Category:Healthcare regulation