CQC is returning to Good-rated care services: is your rating 6–7 years old?
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has confirmed it’s returning to assess Good-rated adult social care services with older ratings, as it increases assessment activity across the sector. As a care provider, if you haven’t been inspected for several years now is the time to ask: would your service still achieve its Good rating today?
In this specialist guide on how to ensure CQC compliance, we explore what this news means, the steps you should take, and how to find expert assistance to ensure positive results.
CQC Good rating: Which care services will the regulator reassess?
The UK regulator’s programme update is targeting eligible services currently rated Good overall and Good across all five key questions (with ratings that are at least six or seven years old). This includes eligible:
- Care and nursing homes
- Supported living services
- Homecare services
Services must also meet more eligibility criteria. This includes having a registered manager and no ongoing enforcement activity. In summary, it means that if your service has an older Good rating, maintaining CQC inspection readiness should be a priority.
What will CQC be reassessing for aged ratings?
The regulator will initially focus on 18 quality statements across Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. These include:
- Safeguarding
- Staffing
- Medicines optimisation
- Consent
- Person-centred care
- Governance
- Risk management
- Learning and improvement
However, one of the most important changes is the increased emphasis on people’s experiences and outcomes.
Inspectors will gather feedback from people using the service, visitors, professionals, staff and leaders, alongside observing care and support in practice. After that assessment, records and documentation will be used to consider what inspectors have seen and heard.
In other words, being inspection-ready isn’t just about having the right policies in place. It’s also about the experience your patients receive, which must match what your policies, care plans, and governance systems state.
To proactively prepare for this update, you should consider a specialist CQC mock inspection or compliance review. These can significantly help identify where there may be gaps between your processes and what’s happening in practice.
Make sure your service is still rated Good
A lot can change in six or seven years. From staff and leadership teams to policies, systems, people’s needs and CQC expectations. The regulator has confirmed that if concerns are identified, it can expand the assessment to include additional quality statements and revert to its wider assessment approach.
At C4Q, our experienced care compliance specialists can help you understand where your service stands before CQC arrives. We can offer you expert:
- CQC mock inspections
- Compliance reviews
- Policy support
- Specialist CQC consultancy
We can also help identify gaps, strengthen governance, and provide your team with the confidence they need to demonstrate the quality of care they provide.
Is your Good rating six or seven years old?
Don’t wait for CQC to tell you whether it’s still accurate. Speak to the Care 4 Quality team about reviewing your service today.
