Care Inspectorate Wales: Care home inspection, reports and CIW rating  

If you want to know what does the Care Inspectorate Wales do, this guide sums up everything you need to know about Wales’ Care Inspectorate, its care home inspections, reports and CIW rating.  

Key Points

• Role of Care Inspectorate for Wales: It registers, inspects, and monitors services like care homes to ensure safety, quality, and compliance with regulations.
• Care home inspections and ratings: CIW conducts unannounced inspections, speaking with residents, staff, and families, and reviewing records and care delivery.
•  After the inspection: Inspection findings are shared with the care home provider. Care homes can respond before the final report is published.
•  Why CIW inspections matter: CIW reports and ratings help people compare and choose care homes in Wales.

What is Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)?

Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) is the independent regulator of social care and childcare services in Wales.

The care inspectorate for Wales plays a vital role in regulating and promoting the quality of care services including care homes in Wales.

Who does the Care Inspectorate Wales inspect?

The services regulated by the Welsh care watchdog are:

• Care homes (for adults or children).
• Home care services.
• Residential family centre services.
• Secure accommodation services.
• Adult placement services.
• Fostering and adoption services.
• Advocacy services.
• Child minders.
• Full day care.
• Out of school care.
• Day care services for under 12’s.
• Boarding schools.
• Residential special schools.
• Further education colleges accommodating students under 18.

What does Care Inspectorate Wales do?

The role of CIW 

• Decides who can register to provide social care and childcare services in Wales.
• Checks the quality and safety of services including care homes on behalf of Welsh Ministers.
• Inspects registered care homes to check safety, quality of care and support, rights of people using services, environment and leadership/management.
• Through inspections and its care inspectorate reports, it drives improvement of regulated care homes and local authority social services
• If quality standards are not met, the CIW has powers to take enforcement action to ensure services meet legislative and regulatory requirements. They do this by placing conditions on registration, cancelling registration or closing services.
• CIW publishes inspection reports, undertakes reviews, uses data/intelligence to  improve care services.
• Responds to concerns raised about care homes and childcare services
• Undertakes national reviews of social care services and shapes government policy.   

Care home ratings Wales: What does the CIW rating mean?

All care homes and domiciliary care services inspected in Wales have received ratings since 1 April 2025.

Here is a video explaining CIW rating.

The Welsh care home ratings system has four ratings.  

• Excellent.
• Good.
• Requires Improvement.
• Requires Significant Improvement.

CIW inspectors will consider four key areas when inspecting a care home.

Care Inspectorate Wales gives a rating for each of key areas highlighted below:  

• Wellbeing – How people are supported to be safe, happy and healthy. How choices and independence are respected. How people stay connected with others.
• Care & Support- How well people’s needs are met. How dignity and rights are protected. How safety is maintained.
• Environment – How comfortable and safe the care home building is. How well-maintained everything is. How the space helps independence.
• Leadership & Management – How well the care home is run. How staff are supported. How the care home keeps improving.

What happens during a care home inspection in Wales?

All inspections by the CIW are unannounced.

During a care home inspection in Wales, care inspectors will:

• Talk and listen to the views of the care home by care home residents. 
• Observe care given to care home residents.
• Listen to the views of relatives of care home residents.
• Talk and listen to the views of care home staff.
• Talk to the manager and visiting professionals of the service.
• Read care home policies and records.
• Give out questionnaires to people, professionals and relatives where appropriate.
• Look at and report if a service is provided in Welsh without someone having to ask for it.

What happens after a Welsh care home inspection?  

• The inspector may discuss their findings with the care home provider during or at the end of the inspection.
• Inspectors will send a post-inspection feedback questionnaire to the care provider.  
• The inspector will write up findings from their visit in a care inspectorate report. Care inspectorate reports are sent to the provider within 25 working days after an inspection.
• The registered care home provider will have up to 10 working days to comment on the factual accuracy of the report. Amendments may be made.
• The report is then published on the CIW directory.

How often do care homes in Wales get inspected?

• Most care home inspections are full inspections.
• Full care home inspections take place six months after a newly registered service becomes operational.
• After that, the CIW uses an intelligence-led scheduling model to determine the timing of the next inspection.
• In 2024, the Welsh regulator changed the maximum interval between inspections to five years. 

What happens if standards are not met by a care home in Wales?

If there is no improvement to the quality of service at a care home, the CIW can take further action including placing conditions on the care home provider’s registration, closing a care home or cancelling the provider’s registration.

Why do CIW inspections of Welsh care homes matter?

• Ratings and inspection reports help families compare care homes, understand quality differences, care environment, leadership, staffing and make informed choices about a care home in Wales.
• As providers expect inspections and published reports/ratings will affect reputation, there is pressure on them to improve care homes in Wales.
• Care home providers with strong ratings may attract more residents. Care home providers with weak CIW ratings may undergo improvement or exit the market.

How can I find Care Inspectorate Wales reports and care home ratings?

• Care home inspection ratings and reports are publicly available.
• A care home’s CIW rating is displayed at a care home’s entrance, on the care home’s website. Inspection ratings are also in the care home’s latest CIW inspection report, which is published on the care regulator’s website.
• When searching for a care home in Wales, it is important to look beyond ‘Good’, and ask for staff turnover, leadership changes, environment, feedback from residents/relatives.
• For anyone looking for a care home in Wales, paying attention to its CIW inspection report and CIW rating is essential.
• Selecting a home with a good CIW rating can reduce risk and improve satisfaction.
• You can use carehome.co.uk’s listings and filtering tools, to help you make an informed decision.
• You can also check out carehome.co.uk reviews to get opinions about what residents and their family and friends actually think of individual care homes.