Responsive · KLOE 4

Equity in experience

Does the service tailor people’s care, treatment and support effectively, to ensure equity in experience?

CQC wording, mental health care draft, pages 53 to 55.

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:

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 53 to 55. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

CQC draft rating characteristics

These are CQC's draft characteristics. CQC says rating characteristics guide judgements, they are not a mechanical checklist.

Leaders and staff create a supportive, empowering environment where communication is always culturally sensitive, non‑discriminatory and inclusive. People feel their diversity is valued, and they are empowered to give their views and understand their rights.
Leaders and staff take purposeful steps to understand, listen and respond to people’s experiences of discrimination and inequality. People do not feel their protected equality characteristics, ethnicity or culture lead to different responses or impact their experience of care.
Staff foster a psychologically safe culture where concerns about equity in experience are acknowledged and addressed transparently. There are established channels and processes so that culturally rooted feedback from people and communities is recognised and responded to in a timely and fair way.
People can expect information and communication to be tailored to their needs, made accessible, inclusive, consistently reviewed and shared to support person‑centred care.
All people, regardless of background, can easily get the appropriate and effective mental health support they need.

People have good experiences of care because they feel staff empower them to give their views and understand their rights, including equality and human rights. People’s experiences of discrimination, inequality and infringements of their rights are listened to and acted upon to improve their experience.
Leaders and staff are open about and aware of discrimination and inequality factors that may intersect to disadvantage people, whether from individuals, societal barriers or organisational processes. Evidence shows staff work with partners and communities to improve the experiences of marginalised groups.
Leaders and staff engage consistently with people and communities to achieve equity in experience, using data and research to recognise intersecting barriers and respond in a timely and resource‑appropriate way.
People’s information and communication needs are identified, recorded, highlighted and shared. Information is tailored to their needs through culturally sensitive and inclusive reasonable adjustments, accessible formats, interpretation, translation and digital support. These needs are continuously met and reviewed to support their experience of care.

People do not always understand their rights, including equality and human rights. If they experience discrimination or inequality, they do not consistently feel listened to or that their experiences are acted on. People with protected equality characteristics, including ethnicity and culture, do not always feel confident that their views will be responded to effectively or compassionately.
Leaders and staff are not consistently aware of what causes discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage groups using the service. They lack strong links with local communities or do not use available data well to improve people’s experiences.
Leaders and staff are reactive rather than proactive in working toward equity in experience. Systems and processes to gather, use and monitor information about equity may be missing or weak. Where information exists, it is not consistently used to recognise and respond to people’s experiences.
People do not consistently receive information tailored to their needs, including culturally sensitive adjustments, accessible formats, interpretation, translation or support with digital services. These needs are not always identified, recorded, shared or reviewed.
People are at risk from misogyny, sexual abuse and breaches of their privacy.

People do not understand their rights and are not supported to do so. Their experiences of discrimination and inequality are not listened to, understood or acted on. Positive experiences are declining. Staff do not welcome people’s views or respond appropriately.
Leaders and staff are unaware of discrimination and inequality affecting people’s experiences. This is not considered in planning or delivering the service. No links exist with local communities, and data and research are not used to understand or respond to barriers.
Leaders and staff do not recognise unequal experiences or take action to address them. People feel strongly that their protected equality characteristics, ethnicity or culture negatively affects how they are treated.
People do not receive information tailored to their needs; culturally sensitive adjustments, accessible formats, interpretation, translation and digital support are not provided. Needs are not identified, recorded, shared or reviewed.

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