Ensuring that findings of joint inspections are robust and supported by a sound evidence base is critical. The Care Inspectorate service manager (strategic scrutiny) is responsible for overseeing the delivery of each inspection and undertakes quality assurance activities at key points during the process of each inspection. These include having regular discussions with the inspection lead and attending key meetings of the joint inspection team and selected professional discussions.
Draft inspection reports are reviewed and approved by the Care Inspectorate’s Quality and Consistency Panel before being sent to the partnership. The Quality and Consistency Panel is chaired by the Chief Inspector, strategic scrutiny and includes representatives from Education Scotland (ES), Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland (HMICS). The remit of the panel is to:
- quality assure joint inspection reports including progress reports and agree any amendments to ensure key messages come across clearly and that the report tells a coherent story;
- test out the team’s evaluations to satisfy themselves that these are robust, evidence-based and support the story of the inspection, reflecting the experiences of children and young people, making any necessary adjustments;
- benchmark the inspection findings and evaluations against previous joint inspection reports to achieve consistency; and
- consider the need for a progress review or post-inspection improvement support, including the timing, focus and approach.
Issuing a draft of the report to the CPP prior to publication is a further step in the quality assurance process by providing the opportunity for partners to comment and amend any factual inaccuracies. For more information, including the role of the Quality and Consistency Panel see quality assurance arrangements.
Following the inspection’s conclusion, community planning partners are invited to provide feedback on the inspection process using a standard post-inspection questionnaire. This helps to support the Care Inspectorate and scrutiny partners in our own quality assurance and continuous improvement.
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