The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is England's independent health and social care regulator, set up in 2009. Its goal is to make sure that health and social care services offer individuals safe, effective, compassionate, and high-quality care, and it continually encourages providers to improve their services.

The fundamental standards of CQC are built on the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009.

CQC Inspections

The CQC conducts frequent inspections at care homes, which include discussions with employees, evaluating care, and examining documents. The goal is to gain a thorough understanding of the level of services delivered.

A CQC inspection of care homes will include the following:

• An in-person visit to the care home
• Examination of the medical records
• Collecting feedback from the clients at the care home
• Acquiring input from the care home employees

CQC inspection is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your dedication to delivering the best home care service possible for your customers.

Before visiting your care home or nursing home, the CQC officers will evaluate the documentation and data they have on file for your healthcare service, including any notices you've submitted, such as complaints or safety alerts. This information aids in determining which areas of the evaluation will be scrutinised during the inspection.

The CQC conducts surprise inspections, so you won't know when to expect them. The inspection process usually takes one day. When inspectors visit, they will present you their ID, explain the reason for their visit and ask you to assign them a location to use for the duration of their visit.

CQC Inspectors will carry out detailed discussions with your customers and employees, comparing what they hear to written records to gain a sound understanding of your services. They will most likely select key areas of your service and ask you to explain how you fulfil quality standards, possibly requesting supporting data such as training records or care plans.

After completing the discussions and information gathering, CQC will share their feedback or they may contact you again later for more information.

How does CQC make its final judgement? 

The CQC bases its decision on two critical frameworks: the Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) and the Quality Standards.

The KLOEs include five questions, which would be same for the all the services CQC inspects.

1. Are they safe?

Safe means that you are protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

2. Are they effective?

Effective means your care, treatment and support achieves good outcomes, helps you to maintain quality of life and is based on the best available evidence.

3. Are they caring?

Caring means staff involve and treat you with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

4. Are they responsive to people’s needs?

Responsive means services are organised so that they meet your needs.

5. Are they well-led?

Well-led means that the leadership, management, and governance of the organisation make sure it’s providing high-quality care that’s based around your individual needs, that it encourages learning and innovation, and that it promotes an open and fair culture.

CQC Ratings

Following a review of their findings, the CQC will assign a grade to the care provider based on its key line of enquiries. Your care home will be given one of four ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate.

• Outstanding: The care provider is performing exceptionally well.
• Good: The care provider is performing well and meeting expectations.
• Requires Improvement: The care provider is not performing as well as it should and the CQC guidance on how it could improve.
• Inadequate: The care provider is performing badly and the CQC has taken steps against those who are running it.

The CQC website publishes the care home inspection reports with its overall rating. It will also include details of the areas where your care home is performing well as well as the areas that demand improvement. The evaluation report will also convey information on how your care home performed against each key line of enquiries. Care homes also have an opportunity to dispute the rating they have been awarded by requesting a review of the CQC rating.

If the CQC discovers that your care home is offering a substandard level of care to its clients, it has an administrative mechanism in place to protect people who are getting care. They have the authority to issue warning notices, which compel the care provider to produce an action plan outlining how they intend to improve. If the allegations are serious enough, the CQC has the authority to suspend or cancel your care home’s registration.

How to Prepare for CQC Inspections?

A CQC inspection is a significant event for your home care organisation; every system, structure, and practice in your service will be evaluated. However, if you plan ahead of time and are satisfied that you are giving excellent service to your clients, it might be an opportunity to receive a positive report that displays your devotion and effort.

Remember that you won't know when your inspection will take place, therefore you must maintain a high level at all times.

The CQC has released an official statement recommending care homes and social care organisations to utilise digital record systems whenever possible, owing in part to the CQC's ability to view digital information remotely to facilitate their inspection process. Digital records also make your inspection more efficient and less stressful because you no longer have to spend time collecting, sorting, and compiling the paper documents requested by the CQC inspector.

With a fully integrated software platform like JMS One, where you can access everything with a single click, preparing for an inspection is as simple as going about your business as usual. All of the information and documentation you require is safely kept and conveniently available when you require it.

If you are interested in digitizing your care homes, then do get in touch with us. We would be happy to answer your queries or schedule a free demo.