Consultation
The Department consulted widely on these proposals in the “Best Practice – Best Care” consultation document. The results of this consultation exercise, published in June 2002, showed widespread support for the introduction of a statutory duty of quality, clinical and social care governance arrangements for the HPSS and a new system of regulation of care services extended to cover a much wider range of services. The consultation showed different views on which body or bodies should inspect and regulate services and raised concerns about the cost of creating multiple new bodies. As a result the proposal in the consultation document to create two new Non-Departmental Bodies was replaced with a new proposal to create a single, integrated, authority. As part of this consultation DHSSPS invited consultees to put forward their views on the equality impact of the proposals, and also invited any further comment on the major policy objectives that have been brought forward in this Order. The responses indicated almost universal support for the proposals and the equality aims of the Order were broadly welcomed.
