News from HLTH Compliance
CQC and Ofsted compliance, explained
Advice, news and video on regulatory change and best practice for health and social care providers.
News articles
- News
CQC to Regulate Autism and ADHD Diagnostic Assessments: What Providers Need to Know
The Department of Health and Social Care has asked CQC to regulate all autism and ADHD diagnostic assessments. Here is what is changing and how providers can prepare.
- Advice
Trade Union Changes: What Providers Need to Prepare
Trade Union Duty: Use the Extra Time Wisely Employers now have until 1 January 2027 to prepare for the new requirement to tell workers about their right to join a trade union. The original October 2026 start date has been moved back, and the Government’s consultation response sets out in some detail how the duty
- News
Event Healthcare Providers: New CQC Registration Requirements
CQC has published new guidance confirming that healthcare and treatment delivered at sporting, cultural and other events now falls within the scope of CQC regulation. Applications open 7 September 2026.
- Advice
HLTH Chat: Fixing NHS Waiting Times, Why Clinic Chaos Is a Design Problem Rather Than a Capacity Problem
Long waiting lists, chaotic clinics and stretched staff are usually explained the same way: there is too much demand and not enough capacity. It is a familiar conclusion, and for many services it feels like the only one available. But as NHS consultant surgeon and independent healthcare systems engineer Simon Dodds explains on a recent
- News
Burnham’s Three Point Plan for Social Care: What it Means for Providers and Compliance Teams
On 29 July 2026, Prime Minister Andy Burnham used a speech at a care home to set out a three point plan to overhaul adult social care in England, describing decades of political inaction on the sector as a major dereliction of public duty. For care providers, registered managers and compliance leads, the announcement is
- News
CQC Sets Out Its Approach to Regulation During Local Government Reorganisation
On 22 July 2026, the Care Quality Commission published an update setting out how its regulatory activity will continue through a period of significant structural change across local government, children’s social care, integrated care boards and NHS England. This is about local authority assessments, not provider inspections It’s worth being precise about what this update
- News
Emily Miles Appointed Chief Executive of the CQC
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has confirmed Emily Miles as its new Chief Executive, with the appointment taking effect this autumn. Emily joins CQC from her current role as Director General for Food, Farming and Biosecurity at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). She takes over from Dr Arun Chopra, who has
- News
Right to Work Duties Are Expanding From 1 October 2026: What Care Providers Need to Know
The Home Office has published a draft revised Code of Practice on Preventing Illegal Working, confirmed to come into force on 1 October 2026 alongside Section 48 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025. For care providers who rely on agency staff, subcontracted workers or staffing platforms to fill rotas, this is a
- News
CQC’s Better Regulation, Better Care Reforms: What’s Changing and When
CQC has spent the first half of 2026 consulting on the biggest change to its assessment approach since the Single Assessment Framework was introduced. The consultation, “Better Regulation, Better Care,” closed on 12 June 2026, and CQC has confirmed it expects to publish final frameworks over the summer, with implementation towards the end of the
- News
HLTH Chat – Modern Obesity Management: Why Weight Loss Medications Are Only Part of the Picture
The conversation around obesity management has changed dramatically over the past few years. With the rise of GLP-1 medications and increasing public awareness of obesity treatment options, more people than ever are seeking support to improve their health. But as award-winning bariatric physician Dr Anjanli Zalin explains on a recent episode of HLTH Chat, effective
- News
CQC June 2026 Update: Piloting the New Assessment Approach
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has confirmed that its proposed new assessment approach is currently being tested through a structured national pilot programme running from June to October 2026, with a full evaluation and review scheduled for November 2026. The purpose of the pilot is to ensure the new assessment methodology is credible, consistent, transparent,
- News
CQC Announces “Next Phase” of Local Authority Assessments
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published further details on the next phase of its local authority assessment programme, following the completion of its initial “baselining” work across England. The update focuses less on changing the assessment framework itself, and more on how assessments will now be carried out in practice. What’s Changing? One of
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