Care Quality Commission

Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and social care in England

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent body that regulates adult health and social care in England. Its role is to register care providers, monitor, inspect and rate their services, and act to protect people who use them. It also publishes its own assessment of the main quality issues in the health and social care sector.

Services it regulates and reports on

The organisation maintains a public search tool for health and social care services that allows people to find and compare services based on their inspection reports. The categories of regulated services listed on its website are:

• Care homes and nursing homes.
• NHS hospitals and independent hospitals.
• Dental services, both NHS and private.
• Clinics, including family planning and slimming clinics.
• Homecare agencies, with services provided in people's own homes.
• GP services, including walk-in and out-of-hours services.
• Mental health services, both hospital and community-based.
• Community-based health and care services.

The search tool allows filtering by type of service, name or specialism, and by location and distance, with radii of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 miles.

Ratings and inspection reports

The CQC rates services on a four-point scale. At the time of the analysis, its website showed ratings from the previous month: 31 services rated outstanding, 437 rated good, 128 rated requires improvement and 16 rated inadequate. The inspection reports are designed to let the public know the organisation's assessment of the quality of care of each service and to compare options.

Information and procedures for providers

Registered providers must notify the CQC of certain changes, events and incidents that affect their service or the people who use it. Anyone wishing to carry on any of the regulated activities must register in advance and notify any change to their registration details. The website also brings together information on the assessment approach applied to care service providers, local authorities and integrated care systems.

The procedures and materials aimed at providers include the registration process, the requirements for first registration, compliance with the regulations, fees, changes to registration, the statement of purpose, notifications and criminal record (DBS) checks.

Public involvement and protection of rights

The CQC gathers the views and experiences of people who use services, which it uses to decide when, where and what to inspect. The organisation states that it protects the rights of vulnerable people, including those subject to restrictions under the Mental Health Act, and that it works alongside the public, health systems and care providers.

Open data and news from the organisation

The organisation offers an API portal and data sheets so that third parties can build systems that help people find out about the health and social care options available to them. Its website also publishes news, press releases and regular publications, including the annual report on the safer management of controlled drugs, the annual report of its Defence Medical Services inspection programme and projects such as the Regulators' Pioneer Fund on ambient voice technology in regulatory practice.

The CQC also provides information about its governance bodies, its executive team, its strategy, its fundamental standards of care and its consultations and events, and keeps job opportunities open.