Safe · KLOE 5
Safe environments and infection prevention and control
Are the premises and equipment suitable and safe for delivery of care, and are potential risks within the environment detected and managed appropriately to keep people and staff safe?
CQC wording, primary care and community services draft V6.0, pages 12 to 14.
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:
- Premises (including gas, electrical and fire safety)
- Equipment
- Environmental risks (adverse weather such as heatwaves and flooding)
- Digital systems / technology assurance
- Physical and psychological safety
How would this apply to your service?
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 12 to 14. 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 culture of shared ownership for safety, where everyone feels empowered to identify and act on environmental risks, and improvements are celebrated and shared across the system.
- The facilities, premises, equipment and technology are tailor-made and designed specifically to meet the needs of the people who use the service.
- There is a thorough system for assessing and managing infection control risks, which incorporates current national guidance and best practice. Roles and responsibilities for infection prevention and control are clear, with continuous learning and peer support embedded.
Good
- People are cared for in safe environments that are designed to meet their needs.
- There is a comprehensive system to proactively identify and manage risks in the care environment. Where infrastructure risks are identified, the service responds to them appropriately.
- The facilities and premises are well-maintained, and the equipment used to deliver care and treatment is safe to use, stored securely, well-maintained, and calibrated correctly to support the delivery of safe and effective care.
- The systems and technology used to deliver care and treatment, such as artificial intelligence, is suitable for the intended purpose, secure, up-to-date and used properly.
- There are arrangements, including clear roles and responsibilities, to monitor the safety and upkeep of the facilities, premises, equipment and technology.
- Staff carry out risk assessments to consider how the environment can keep people safe from physical and psychological harm.
- There is an effective approach to assessing and managing the risk of infection, in line with current national guidance. Staff have clear roles and responsibilities around infection prevention and control. Information about the risk of infection is shared appropriately with relevant partners, including staffing agencies, people using the service and visitors.
Requires improvement
- Systems to detect and control potential risks in the care environment are inconsistent. As a result, the facilities, premises, equipment and technology systems are not always safe to use, well-maintained, stored safely, clean or used properly.
- Staff don’t always consider risks in the care environments.
- Infection prevention and control is not always managed appropriately. Staff do not always follow good practice in relation to infection prevention and control and do not always share information about the risk of infection with partners.
Inadequate
- Systems to detect and control potential risks in the care environment are ineffective. As a result, the facilities, premises, equipment and technology systems are unsafe.
- There is no consideration about risks in the care environment.
- There is no system to assess and manage the risk of infection. Staff are not clear on their responsibilities around infection prevention and control.
- Information about the risk of infection is not known or shared.
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.