Well-led · KLOE 1
Strategic direction
Is there a clear vision and strategy to support the current and future needs of people and promote a positive culture?
CQC wording, draft v9, pages 51 to 53.
Draft, not the current assessment framework
CQC's adult social care draft v9, dated 19 March 2026. The current quality statements remain in use.
CQC draft scope
What this proposed KLOE covers
Scope of this key line of enquiry and topic areas include:
- Strategy and vision
- Values and culture
- Service sustainability
- Staff feedback
How would this apply to your service?
The draft applies one framework across adult social care, but useful evidence depends on your service and people.
Source: Adult social care assessment framework, draft v9, 19 March 2026, pages 51 to 53.
HLTH analysis
What this could mean in practice
A clear, shared strategy should connect values, culture and sustainability with the current and future needs of people.
Leaders, staff, people and partners should understand the direction of the service and how it relates to everyday decisions. Feedback should shape priorities and help track whether strategic plans support person-centred, equitable and sustainable care.
Evidence and conversations to explore
- Understanding of vision, values and priorities
- Staff and people's influence on strategy
- Links between strategy, culture and sustainability
Questions worth asking
- Can staff explain how the strategy affects their daily work?
- How have people and staff influenced priorities or strategic decisions?
- How does planning address future needs and operational sustainability?
HLTH's interpretation of CQC's 19 March 2026 draft. This is not current CQC guidance, an official interpretation, a checklist or a rating prediction. Reviewed 17 September 2026.
CQC draft rating characteristics
How the draft describes each rating
These are CQC's draft characteristics. CQC says rating characteristics guide judgements, they are not a mechanical checklist.
Outstanding
- The vision, strategy and supporting objectives are clearly articulated. They place people and good outcomes at the forefront. The strategic direction is consistently understood and fully embedded across the service.
- The service has high standards in relation to transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people; the strategy supports the service to deliver against these standards.
- A genuinely person-centred approach is central to the service and is reflected in everyday practice and decision-making.
- Staff are proud of the service as a place to work and speak highly of its culture, vision and values.
- Strategic plans are ambitious, challenging and innovative as well as being realistic and achievable.
- Feedback from staff and people using the service is encouraged and is consistently taken into account. Feedback is used to track outcomes against the strategy, to identify and shape strategic priorities and drive systemic improvements in care delivery.
- There is strong collaboration, team-working and a shared focus on improving the quality and sustainability of care and people’s experiences.
Good
- The values of the service are clear, understood and supported by staff. They are demonstrated through the behaviour of leaders and in practices within the service. They include key principles such as openness, involvement, respect, human rights, inclusion, diversity and equality.
- Leaders promote a shared vision and strategy that staff and people understand and support. The service’s vision and strategy demonstrate an understanding of local and national issues and the needs of people using the service. People’s wellbeing is central to the vision.
- The vision, values, and strategy have been developed through structured planning and co-production with people who use the service, staff and partners.
- There is a person-centred culture that is responsive to the needs and preferences of people who use the service and staff.
- Leaders learn from staff who work directly with people, to build trust and mutual understanding. Feedback is valued and used to track progress, shape priorities and drive improvements.
- Staff at all levels have a well-developed understanding of equality, diversity, and human rights. Staff prioritise safe, high-quality, compassionate care.
- The strategy supports the stability and operational sustainability of the service.
Requires improvement
- The vision and values of the service are not clearly defined or not widely understood. Where they are in place, they are not well developed or do not incorporate key principles such as openness, involvement, respect and equality.
- The service does not have a clear, shared purpose. Staff are not consistently aligned with the values of the service, or do not understand how they are relevant to their role or the care they provide.
- Leaders do not consistently model or reinforce the values of the service.
- The culture is not consistently person-centred. People and staff may feel that their individual needs or preferences are not fully understood or respected.
- Leadership behaviours may appear task-driven rather than people focused with limited regard for people’s wellbeing, motivations, or personal circumstances.
- Feedback from staff and people who use the service is not collected, reviewed, or acted upon consistently. Insights are not routinely used to track progress, shape strategic priorities, or drive improvements in care delivery.
- Not all staff have sufficient understanding of equality, diversity and human rights and how this is relevant to the care they deliver.
- The strategy does not consistently support the long-term stability or operational sustainability of the service, resulting in unclear priorities or a reactive rather than proactive approach.
Inadequate
- There is no clear vision, values or strategy or these are not embedded.
- There is no shared purpose or direction. Leaders do not promote or model a shared purpose; staff do not understand expectations or how the service’s purpose is relevant to their role.
- Culture is poor, lacking openness, inclusivity and respect. People’s needs are not valued or prioritised. Leaders operate and make decisions in isolation, excluding other relevant stakeholders.
- Leaders are task-focused, with no regard for people’s wellbeing, motivations, or personal circumstances.
- There is a lack of understanding of key principles including equality, diversity and human rights. These principles are not embedded in the culture of the service and in delivering care. There is evidence of bullying or discrimination.
- The strategy does not support the stability and operational sustainability of the service.
Want to know how your service would fare?
Book a mock inspection run against the draft KLOEs, or call 020 8090 5346 to speak to one of our experts.