Responsive · KLOE 3
Timely and equitable access
Does the service ensure that everyone can access equitable and timely care, treatment and support?
CQC wording, mental health care draft, pages 51 to 53.
Draft, not the current assessment framework
CQC's mental health care draft, 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)
- Access to crisis provision
- Data driven actions to improve access equity
- Out of area placements
How would this apply to your service?
The draft applies one framework across mental health care, but useful evidence depends on your service and people.
Source: CQC, Mental health care assessment framework, draft, 19 March 2026, pages 51 to 53. 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
- There is a proactive approach to understanding the access needs and preferences of different groups of people, including those with protected equality characteristics. This removes barriers to accessing care.
- People do not experience barriers or delays in accessing care, they are key partners in the development of the service and their involvement is used to improve access for all. Where people are supported by unpaid carers, flexibility in accessing the service is prioritised.
- The service proactively seeks to identify and address any delays to care, treatment or support. This includes working with external partners.
- The service is responsive and adapts quickly to people’s individual needs, offering flexible appointments, drop-in times and outreach for those who struggle to attend clinics.
- 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.
- Leaders and staff work proactively to achieve equitable and timely access to care 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. Waiting lists are well-managed and risk assessed to ensure need is prioritised.
- When people are in crisis they can get quick access to care at the service, or are directed to the most appropriate service for their needs. People are supported to access care from other services, including advising where to go for post-treatment support, local out-of-hours services and care in an emergency. Where appropriate, people are supported to access physical health care and monitoring.
- Leaders and staff take action to address discrimination and inequality that 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 and those close to them, advocates and communities and other evidence to improve access for people who are more likely to experience barriers or delays in getting access to care. Services are designed to make them accessible and timely for people including those most likely to have difficulty in accessing care. When there are physical, digital, or cultural barriers, they are removed.
- 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 and opportunities as needed 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.
- 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 about how to ensure their service is accessible to all. The service will occasionally allocate resources to tackle inequalities in access.
- Information and advice about how to access other services, including post-treatment support, local out-of-hours services and emergency services, is inconsistent.
- The service only sometimes uses feedback to improve access for people more likely to experience barriers or delays in accessing their care.
- Where people need it, there is limited flexibility in appointments or how care is provided, and alternative strategies are not always used.
Inadequate
- Long waiting times for community mental health support hinders recovery, increases risk of relapse and makes it difficult to access psychological care after discharge from hospital.
- Long delays in getting access to crisis support and inadequate care leads to relapse and hospital re-admissions.
- People are unable to access the care and treatment they need. Services are not set up to support people who may have difficulties accessing services.
- People experience unacceptable waits for some services.
- Staff do not understand how to ensure their service is accessible to all. Barriers to accessing care, such as cultural barriers, 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 services or emergency services.
- The service does not seek feedback to improve access for people who are more likely to experience barriers or delays in accessing their 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.