Well-led · KLOE 7
Improvement, innovation and learning
Are there effective systems that enable continuous improvement, innovation and learning to drive high-quality, sustainable services?
CQC wording, mental health care draft, pages 75 to 77.
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:
- Innovation
- Learning and improvement
- Research
- Quality improvement capability
- Lived experience involvement
- Evidence‑based innovation
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 75 to 77. 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 fully embedded and effective systematic approach to quality improvement, which leaders understand is key to delivering high-quality, equitable care.
- Learning is a continuous process, embedded through reflection, collective problem-solving, and sharing both mistakes and good practice. Learning is systemically shared internally and with other organisations to support improvement in the system and innovation in the sector.
- People and communities, particularly those who are more likely to have poor health outcomes, are actively involved in research opportunities, and in developing and co-producing improvements and innovations.
- Leaders foster an open culture of trust, which is honest about challenges and mistakes, and uses these as opportunities for learning. Leaders actively listen to staff and encourage collective problem solving and innovation.
- The service invests in its people to ensure quality improvement is embedded in the way all staff work. There is a clear culturally sensitive, non-discriminatory strategy for how to develop staff capabilities. Staff from all backgrounds feel empowered to lead and deliver change.
- There are strong external relationships that support research, improvement and innovation. Staff and leaders regularly engage with external partners, including those in research, and embed evidence-based practice into the service. The service leads on national improvement initiatives and research. There is notable evidence of improvements for marginalised communities as a result.
Good
- Staff and leaders understand how to help improvement and innovation happen. Their approach is consistent and includes measuring outcomes and impact to drive improvement.
- Learning is a continuous process, where mistakes and good practice are openly discussed and shared with other organisations. New improvements and innovations are monitored to support continuous improvement.
- People and those close to them are actively involved in shaping and evaluating improvement and innovation.
- Leaders actively listen to staff and encourage collective problem solving and innovation.
- Staff are supported and given sufficient time to develop their skills around quality improvement and innovation. They are consistently encouraged to contribute improvement initiatives.
- Staff and leaders engage with external partners, including those in research, and embed evidence-based practice into the service.
Requires improvement
- Staff and leaders have limited understanding about how to make improvement happen. Their approach is often reactive and focused on short-term solutions.
- Improvements are not always identified or action is not always taken. Where changes are made, the impact may not be fully understood or monitored.
- People using services are only sometimes involved in improvement and innovation.
- Leaders don’t always listen to or work collaboratively with staff to improve the service. There is weak or inconsistent investment and time to develop the skills of staff around quality improvement and innovation. People from different backgrounds feel they do not have the same opportunities.
- Engagement with external partners to improve and innovate the service is limited. Opportunities to embed evidence-based practice may have been missed as a result.
Inadequate
- There is little innovation or service development.
- There is minimal evidence of learning and reflective practice. The impact of service changes on the quality of care is not evident or understood.
- People using the service are rarely involved in improvement and innovation. People from different backgrounds are not given the same opportunities to do this.
- Leaders do not work with staff to improve the service. There is minimal investment or insufficient time to develop the skills of staff around quality improvement and innovation.
- There is little engagement with external partners to improve and innovate the service or embed evidence-based practices.
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.