Responsive · KLOE 3
Timely and equitable access
Does the service ensure that everyone can access equitable and timely care, treatment and support?
CQC wording, secondary and specialist hospital care draft v0.6, pages 44 to 46.
Draft, not the current assessment framework
CQC's secondary and specialist hospital care draft v0.6, published 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:
- Access to services
- Accessible premises
- Waiting times / delays / cancellations
- Emergency unplanned care access / out-of-hours arrangements
- Access to post-treatment support
- Reasonable adjustments
- Digital exclusion (communication barriers)
How would this apply to your service?
The draft applies one framework across secondary and specialist hospital care, but useful evidence depends on your service and people.
Source: CQC, Hospitals (secondary and specialist care) assessment framework, draft v0.6, 19 March 2026, pages 44 to 46. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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 service displays a proactive approach to understanding the needs and preferences of different groups of people regarding access to the service, including those with protected equality characteristics.
- The service far exceeds what is required in ensuring that it removes all barriers to accessing care. People more likely to experience barriers or delays in accessing care are key partners in developing services and their involvement is used to improve access for all.
- The service has a relentless focus on identifying and addressing any delays to care, treatment or support. This includes working with external partners.
- Innovative technology, including artificial intelligence and online services, is used to ensure people have timely access to care, treatment and support.
Good
- People can access care, treatment and support when they need to and in a way that works for them, which promotes equality, removes barriers and protects their rights.
- Staff work proactively to achieve equitable and timely access to care and treatment in line with best practice, quality standards and legal requirements, including those on equality and human rights. This includes making reasonable adjustments for disabled people, meeting information and communication needs, addressing communication barriers, and having accessible premises and equipment.
- The service takes action to minimise the length of time people wait for care, treatment and support. This includes monitoring abandonment rates. Waiting times are well-managed and risk-assessed to ensure people’s needs are prioritised.
- People are supported to access care and treatment from other services, including post-treatment support, local out-of-hours and emergency services.
- Staff take action to address discrimination and inequality that may disadvantage different groups of people in accessing care, treatment and support, whether this is from the wider society, within the service’s processes and culture, or from individuals.
- The service uses feedback from people, their families, carers, advocates and communities, as well as other evidence, to improve access for people who are more likely to experience barriers or delays in getting access to care and treatment.
- The service uses technology to ensure people have timely access to care, treatment and support.
- The service uses evidence and data to prioritise, allocate resource to and take action to tackle inequalities and achieve equity of access.
- Children aged 18 and under have clear pathways to access care, and their parents and carers are able to be involved.
Requires improvement
- People cannot always access care, treatment and support when they need to or in a way that works for them. This increases the risk of deterioration or harm.
- When there are long waiting times, delays or cancellations, action to address this is not always taken quickly or is not always effective.
- Staff have a limited understanding of how to ensure their service is accessible to all. The service is inconsistent in allocating resources to tackle inequalities in access.
- Information and advice about how to access other services, including post-treatment support, local out-of-hours and emergency services, is inconsistent.
- The service is inconsistent in its use of feedback to improve access for people more likely to experience barriers or delays in accessing care.
- Where people need it, there is limited flexibility in appointments or how care is provided, and alternative strategies are not always used.
Inadequate
- People are unable to access the care and treatment they need. Evidence shows that this has led to a deterioration in people’s condition, or to actual harm.
- The service is not set up in a way that supports people who may experience difficulties and barriers in accessing care and treatment.
- People experience unacceptable waits and delays for some services.
- Staff do not understand how to ensure their service is accessible to all. Barriers to accessing care are not understood or removed.
- The service does not give people any information or advice about how to access other services, including post-treatment support, local out-of-hours and emergency services.
- The service does not seek feedback to improve access for people who are more likely to experience barriers or delays in accessing care.
- There is no flexibility in appointments or how care is provided and alternative strategies are not considered.
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.