Our workforce in each of these operational regions is sub-divided into areas and teams. Many of the Operations staff are home-based. Their work covers both NHS services and independent healthcare such as private hospitals and clinics.

Here is a brief summary of what it involves:

• Assessing the healthcare provided by NHS trusts against the Department of Health's core standards, and through our programme of service reviews and joint working with other regulators.
• Regulating independent healthcare services through registration processes and inspections.
• Taking action over lapses or failures in healthcare services or complaints about them, in both the NHS and independent sector.
• Building relationships at a local level, especially with patients, the public and clinicians.
• Working with other regulators to coordinate activity and share information.
• Carrying out assessments under our statutory duties, for example, under the codes of practice for controlling hospital-associated infections and for regulation of controlled drugs.