What is the CQC?

What does the CQC do? 

The CQC registers and inspects care services, and it works closely with care providers like Care UK to maintain and improve their quality of service. It makes sure health and adult social care services – like hospitals, GP practices, care homes, home-care agencies and more – provide safe, high-quality care. 

Registered services must meet the ‘fundamental standards’ of quality and safety, which include treating those receiving care with dignity and respect, tailoring care to their individual needs and providing a clean and safe environment. 

Inspections

CQC inspections focus on five areas of the service by asking: 

CQC will visit a service to collect information to make judgements against these questions. They look at the care provided, observe whether proper systems and processes are in place and examine care plans and records. They will also speak to the manager, carers and other colleagues, the residents using the service and their relatives. Sometimes this feedback is captured after the visit.  

What do the ratings mean? 

After an inspection, a report is published, and the service is given a rating by the CQC based on their quality when inspected. They receive both overall ratings and a rating for each of the five key areas above. 

The ratings are: 

At Care UK, we’re proud to have more Outstanding-rated homes than any other provider. 

Care Inspectorates

In Scotland and Wales, care services are registered and inspected by the Care Inspectorate Scotland and the Care Inspectorate Wales. 

Read more about how Care UK works with the Care Inspectorate Scotland. 

How we work with the CQC 

We work closely with the CQC to ensure that our homes provide a high standard of care. We do this by building good working relationships between Home Managers and the CQC inspectors. 

As one of the largest care providers, Care UK is part of the CQC’s market oversight scheme, which means we have regular reviews with the CQC at a strategic level to discuss our quality. We’re considered to be a high-quality and low-risk care provider by the CQC. Where the CQC identifies areas that need to be improved, we work in partnership to quickly develop action plans to respond to any concerns. 

Our Care, Quality and Governance team ensures that we are following all CQC requirements, and many in our team, including Head of Regulatory Assurance, James Frewin, have worked in CQC.