Caring · KLOE 1

Kindness, compassion and dignity

Are people treated with kindness, empathy, compassion and respect, and is their privacy and dignity maintained?

CQC wording, primary care and community services draft V6.0, pages 30 to 31.

Draft, not the current assessment framework

CQC's primary care and community services draft V6.0, 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 primary care and community services, but useful evidence depends on your service and people.

Source: CQC, Primary care and community services assessment framework, draft V6.0, 19 March 2026, pages 30 to 31. 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.

People consistently report feeling really cared for and that they matter. Care and support exceed expectations.
Staff go the extra mile. Staff are highly motivated and inspired to offer care that is kind, empathetic and compassionate.
Wherever possible, staff try to anticipate instances in which people may be in discomfort or distress and take all practical steps to minimise those risks and prevent them happening again in the future.
Consideration of people’s privacy and dignity is consistently embedded in everything that staff do.
All feedback is continually positive about the way staff treat people.
People’s emotional and social needs are considered to be as important as their physical needs by staff.
Relationships between people who use the service and staff are strong, caring, respectful and supportive. These relationships are highly valued by staff and promote a culture of kindness and respect across the service.

People are cared for with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect by all those involved in their care. People experience care and treatment in a nurturing and supportive environment.
Staff communicate clearly, in a kind and respectful way. They listen actively to people to understand their individual needs and preferences. Feedback about how staff treat people and those close to them is positive.
When people communicate their needs, emotions or distress, staff can manage this in a positive way that protects their rights and dignity.
Staff learn the things that cause people distress to avoid it happening again.
Staff understand and uphold people’s human rights, and consistently respect people’s dignity, privacy, and confidentiality.
Staff anticipate and prioritise people’s comfort and wellbeing needs including for remote appointments, using appropriate tools and communication to meet their needs effectively. People receive emotional support to cope with their care or condition.
There is a culture of kindness and respect across teams and the whole organisation.

The service does not always prioritise a caring environment. People are not always cared for with kindness, compassion, dignity or respect.
People who use the service, those close to them or other stakeholders may have concerns about the way some staff treat people.
Staff are slow to respond to discomfort, distress, or urgent needs. They do not always anticipate situations in which people may be in discomfort or distress.
Staff do not always understand the need to always maintain people’s privacy and dignity. While this may not be intentional, it results in people not always feeling they are respected or valued.
People do not consistently receive emotional support to cope with their care or condition.

The service does not provide a caring environment. People are not always treated with dignity and respect, and staff lack compassion. The lack of compassion is widespread.
People do not feel cared for, and feedback about staff interactions is negative.
Staff are poor at anticipating situations in which people may be in discomfort or distress.
People’s privacy and confidentiality are not respected. There is a demonstrable lack of understanding of the importance of privacy and confidentiality among staff.
People’s changing needs are not recognised and met. Discomfort and distress are not always responded to.
People do not receive emotional support to cope with their care or condition.

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