Supersize them
Saturday/10/Nov 2007 Filed in:
Local
Partnerships and Administration - Drug
Treatment
This new body is promised to be a regulator with teeth - having the power to close units and services in extreme circumstances. However there are concerns that any new body could become incoherent and bureaucratic.
This could however be interesting for those of us keen to see better regulation of quality in drug services and a reduction in the amount of "bean counting" that's going on. At the moment some drugs services are regulated by the Healthcare Commission and some by CSCI (The Commission for Social Care Improvement). Most however aren't really regulated by anyone except the DAT. The NTA inspections that have been undertaken in partnership with the Healthcare Commission have signalled good intentions - lets hope that the next round of inspection - looking at tier 4 commissioning and diversity can have a real impact on quality .
If you want to contribute to the consultation being undertaken by the NTA on the regulatory framework for this years round of reviews, go along to the NTA website. The issues that will be looked at are
the extent to which various parts of the treatment system accommodate the diverse needs of local populations across the full range of service provision and
the commissioning and provision of Tier 4 services (inpatient detoxification and rehabilitation interventions.
These are critical areas for all of use working in the drugs field so if you feel strongly about them, go and take a look at these important documents- but hurry, the consultation closes on the 23rd November.