CQC and Ofsted news and insights, page 4
CQC and Ofsted compliance, explained
Advice, news and video on regulatory change and best practice for health and social care providers.
Articles, page 4
- News
AI In Healthcare: The Growing Governance Risk Providers Can’t Ignore
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of everyday healthcare delivery. From automating admin tasks to supporting clinical decision-making, AI tools are being introduced across health and social care rapidly. But while adoption is accelerating, governance, oversight, and regulation are struggling to keep up. This is creating a growing gap that is now drawing attention from
- Advice
CQC Confirms Pilot of New Assessment Frameworks Across Summer and Autumn 2026
At the recent Care Quality Commission Framework Roadshow events, CQC representatives confirmed that elements of the proposed new assessment frameworks will be piloted throughout Summer and Autumn 2026. The pilot activity is expected to begin from June 2026 and will include sampling across different provider sectors and service types. CQC advised that: Providers selected for
When to Turn to Crisis and Interim Management Support
In health and social care, leadership gaps and compliance pressures can arise unexpectedly. Knowing when to bring in interim or crisis management support can help prevent small issues from becoming serious risks. When to use Interim Management Support Interim support is useful when you need experienced leadership temporarily, such as: Sudden departure or absence of
New CQC Registration Requirements for Oral Health Services (From May 2026)
From 5 May 2026, oral health providers will need to submit additional documentation as part of their Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration applications. The aim is to speed up application reviews by giving inspectors the information they need up front, but it also means providers must be more prepared before submitting. What’s Changing?
- Advice
Duty of Candour: Why Transparency in Healthcare Is Under Renewed Scrutiny
Recent enforcement action and high-profile cases have once again brought transparency in healthcare into focus. Across health and social care services, one issue continues to stand out: when something goes wrong, organisations are still not consistently open about it. At the heart of this is the Duty of Candour. Under Regulation 20 of the Health
- Advice
Who Needs To Be CQC Registered?
If you provide health or social care services in England, you may be legally required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). But whether registration applies depends on one key factor: are you carrying out a regulated activity? What Is CQC Registration? Under the Health and Social Care
- News
HLTH Chat: How Unity Is Changing End-Of-Life Care
In the most recent episode of HLTH Chat, we were joined by two inspiring healthcare professionals who are reshaping what end-of-life care can look like when compassion leads the way. Julie McEvoy, a district nurse and community specialist practitioner, and Ruth Taylor Thomas, a paramedic with the
- Advice
What Actually Is Good Governance?
Good governance is one of those phrases that gets used constantly in healthcare. It can sound abstract or bureaucratic, when in reality it is deeply practical. At its core, good governance is about how a service is run, how decisions are made, and how leaders ensure safety, quality, and accountability
- Advice
The Five Key CQC Domains Explained: A Guide for Care Providers
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) uses five key domains to inspect and rate health and social care services in England. These domains form the basis of every inspection and help determine the overall quality and safety of care. Here’s a simple breakdown of each one. Safe This looks at whether people are protected from harm,
- News
What the CQC Framework Change Means for Providers
The Care Quality Commission is preparing to make further changes to how health and social care services are assessed, with sector-specific frameworks expected to replace the current Single Assessment Framework over time. These developments follow sector feedback that a single regulatory model does not always reflect the operational differences between service types. For providers, this
- Advice
Rising Healthcare Data Breaches and What Compliance Teams Must Do Now
Healthcare organisations globally are facing an unprecedented surge in data breach activity, and it’s no longer a question of if your organisation will be targeted, but when. Protected Health Information remains among the most valuable types of data on the black market, making healthcare one of the most attractive targets for threat actors. Why Healthcare
- Advice
How to Prepare for a CQC Inspection in 2026: A Practical Checklist for Healthcare Providers
For many healthcare providers, a Care Quality Commission inspection is one of the most important moments in the compliance calendar. Whether you operate in primary care, adult social care, children’s services or wider medical services, being inspection-ready is no longer just about having policies in place. It is about being able to evidence how compliance
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