Most services that get a disappointing report were not giving poor care. What failed was the evidence: notifications nobody sent, audits that found problems and recorded no action, or a factual accuracy window that ran out while the manager was on leave. This free CQC inspection readiness checklist gives registered managers, nominated individuals and quality leads at CQC-registered providers in England one workflow: evidence organised by the five key questions, spot checks against the fundamental standards, notifications and the Provider Information Return, a plan for inspection day, and the 10-working-day factual accuracy check after the draft report arrives. Two questions at the start show the PIR task for adult social care services and a phase for closing breaches found at your last inspection.
The Care Quality Commission regulates health and adult social care in England only. Scotland has the Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Wales has Care Inspectorate Wales and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, and Northern Ireland has the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority. Every registered provider in England must meet the fundamental standards in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulations 9 to 20A. These are the floor below which care must never fall, and the regulations CQC cites when it finds a breach.
As of October 2026, CQC still assesses services under its single assessment framework. That means five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led) and 34 quality statements, with evidence drawn from six categories: people’s experience, feedback from staff and leaders, feedback from partners, observation, processes and outcomes. Since 2 December 2024 CQC has scored only at quality statement level, on a scale of 1 to 4, and those scores feed the familiar ratings of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.
That framework is on its way out. Dr Penny Dash’s review, published on 15 October 2024, found serious failings in how CQC operated. CQC then consulted in late 2025 on its proposals. In March 2026 it published four draft sector-specific frameworks, for adult social care, mental health, primary care and community services, and hospitals. They bring back rating characteristics and key lines of enquiry, and they drop scoring in favour of holistic judgement by the inspection team. Pilots run from June to October 2026, with evaluation in November, alongside normal inspections. So prepare for the framework that applies on your assessment date, and organise your evidence by key question and regulation, because both survive the change.
A US hospital preparing for accreditation faces a different body with a different method. That is what the Joint Commission Survey Readiness Checklist covers.
Seven phases run from setting up to the published report. Phase 3 appears only when your last inspection found breaches of regulation, and the PIR task in Phase 5 appears only for adult social care services.
Answer the two scope questions first. They decide whether the PIR task and the breaches phase appear.
Shown only when the last inspection found breaches of regulation.
The PIR task appears only for adult social care services.
The nominated individual sign-off halts the checklist. Nothing is submitted until it is given.
Regulations 9 to 20A of the 2014 Regulations set the fundamental standards. Whatever framework CQC is using on the day, a breach is cited against one of these. The right-hand column is a starting point for each evidence pack, not a complete list.
| Reg | Standard | Evidence to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Person-centred care | Care plans written with the person, and reviews |
| 10 | Dignity and respect | Feedback, observation notes, privacy arrangements |
| 11 | Need for consent | Consent records, capacity assessments where needed |
| 12 | Safe care and treatment | Risk assessments, medicines audits, incident learning |
| 13 | Safeguarding from abuse and improper treatment | Referrals, training, DoLS records |
| 14 | Nutritional and hydration needs | Assessments, monitoring, follow-up of concerns |
| 15 | Premises and equipment | Servicing, cleaning and maintenance logs |
| 16 | Receiving and acting on complaints | Complaints log, responses, learning |
| 17 | Good governance | Audit cycle, action plans, board or owner oversight |
| 18 | Staffing | Rotas, dependency tools, training and supervision |
| 19 | Fit and proper persons employed | Recruitment files and pre-employment checks |
| 20 | Duty of candour | Notifiable incidents, letters, apologies |
| 20A | Display of performance assessments | Rating at each location and on the website |
Two time limits worth knowing. Under regulation 17(3), when CQC asks for a written report on how you meet the governance requirements, you have 28 days to send it. That request is how the adult social care PIR is made. Under regulation 16(3), a summary of complaints asked for by CQC is also due within 28 days. CQC can prosecute a failure on either without first issuing a warning notice.
Tasks carry due dates offset from the day the checklist starts, so the factual accuracy check, the rating review window and the 21-day display deadline are dated the moment the draft report arrives. Run the evidence and notification checks as a quarterly recurring checklist so readiness is continuous.
The factual accuracy response stops at an approval step until the nominated individual answers. Comments, attached evidence and the sign-off stay in the checklist history, which is itself governance evidence under regulation 17.
Dropdown answers show the PIR task and the breaches phase only where they apply. Reports show which locations have overdue audits or open actions, and the API and MCP server can start a readiness checklist from your own systems.
Readiness rests on everyday processes inspectors will sample. The Healthcare Incident Reporting Checklist keeps incident learning on record. The Healthcare Staff Credentialing Checklist and the New Nurse Onboarding Checklist leave recruitment and induction records ready for regulations 18 and 19. The Patient Discharge Checklist covers transfers between services.
Running several registered locations? CheckFlow’s healthcare checklist software runs the same readiness checks at every site, and compliance checklist software keeps owners, evidence and sign-offs in one place.
Yes, as of October 2026. CQC assesses services against five key questions and 34 quality statements, with scores at quality statement level that feed the ratings. It has published four draft sector-specific frameworks, which drop scoring and bring back key lines of enquiry and rating characteristics. It is piloting them from June to October 2026, alongside normal inspections, and evaluating in November. Check CQC’s guidance for which framework applies on your assessment date.
10 working days from the date of CQC’s email with the draft report. CQC will not extend that except in exceptional circumstances. Use it to correct factual errors and gaps in the evidence, attaching proof for each point. If you think CQC did not follow its own process for making a rating, you can request a review within 15 working days of the report being published. Disagreeing with the judgement is not grounds for a review.
They are regulations 9 to 20A of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: person-centred care, dignity and respect, need for consent, safe care and treatment, safeguarding, nutrition and hydration, premises and equipment, complaints, good governance, staffing, fit and proper persons employed, duty of candour, and display of ratings. They are the standards below which care must never fall.
Under the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, deaths of people using the service are notified under regulation 16. Regulation 18 covers other incidents: abuse or allegations of abuse, serious injuries, incidents reported to or investigated by the police, events that threaten your ability to keep running the service safely, and the outcome of applications to deprive someone of their liberty. Most must be sent without delay, and many can be sent through the CQC provider portal.
No. CQC regulates health and adult social care in England. In Scotland the regulators are the Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. In Wales they are Care Inspectorate Wales and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, and in Northern Ireland it is the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority. Each has its own standards and process, so adapt this checklist rather than use it as it stands.
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