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, primary care and community services draft V6.0, pages 58 to 60.

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 58 to 60. 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.

There is a fully embedded and systematic approach to quality improvement. Leaders understand that this is key to delivering high-quality care.
Learning is a continuous process, embedded through reflection, collective problem-solving, and sharing mistakes and good practice. Learning is shared internally and with other organisations to support improvement in the system and innovation within the sector.
People and communities, particularly those who are more likely to have poor health outcomes, are actively involved in developing and co-producing improvements and innovations.
Leaders foster an open culture of trust, which is honest about challenges and mistakes, and they use these as opportunities for learning. Leaders actively listen to staff and encourage collective problem-solving and continuous improvement.
The service invests in its people to ensure quality improvement is embedded in the way all staff work. There is a clear strategy for how to develop staff capabilities. Staff are encouraged to consider where innovation can improve outcomes, and are given the opportunity to learn, create and adopt innovative and improvement ideas.
There are strong external relationships that support 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.

Staff and leaders understand how improvement and innovation happen. Their approach is consistent and includes measuring the outcomes and impact.
New improvements and innovations are monitored to support continuous improvement.
People using services 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.

Staff and leaders have limited understanding about how to make improvement happen. Their approach is often reactive and focused on short-term solutions.
Areas that need to improve are not always identified or the service takes no action when they are. 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 collaborate with, staff to improve the service. There is weak or inconsistent investment and insufficient time to develop staff skills around quality improvement and innovation.
There is limited engagement with external partners to improve the service.

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 always understood.
People using services are rarely involved in improvement and innovation.
Leaders do not work with staff to improve the service. There is minimal investment or insufficient time to develop staff skills around quality improvement and innovation.
There is no engagement with external partners to improve the service.

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