What is the CQC (Care Quality Commission)?

The Care Quality Commission is an independent regulator for health and social care services in England funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. As a care watchdog, the CQC ensures health and social care providers, such as care homes, do not fall below quality standards and this article explains how it operates.

What is the meaning of CQC?

On the subject of the CQC’s meaning, CQC is an abbreviation for the Care Quality Commission.  

What does the CQC do?

The CQC aims to keep the public safe by ensuring health and social care services that it is responsible for in England, including residential and nursing care homes, are meeting its minimum standards. 

What is the CQC responsible for?

The CQC registers health and social care providers and regulates, monitors, inspects and reports on its services.

The care watchdog publishes reports about the quality of these services. If necessary, the CQC will take enforcement action against the care provider, if CQC standards are not met.

The Care Quality Commission regulates the care, treatment and support given by:

• Residential and nursing care homes for adults.
• Hospitals.
• GPs.
• Local authorities.
• Dentists.
• Ambulances.
• Mental health services.
• Home care providers. 
• Hospices.
• People whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act.

What are the Care Quality Commission’s standards? 

Care homes in England must follow national standards set out by the Care Quality Commission, known as fundamental standards. Care homes must like other health and social care services registered by the CQC, follow the 5 standards of CQC. 

What are the 5 standards of CQC?

The CQC assesses every service it regulates using CQC inspections. The Commission inspects the quality of services by considering 5 key questions to determine whether minimum standards are being maintained.   

The Commission asks of a care home service:

• Are they safe? – More specifically, are people protected from avoidable harm and abuse?

• Are they caring? – Are staff compassionate and do they treat people with dignity and respect?

• Are they effective? – Does the care, treatment, and support achieve good outcomes?

• Are they responsive to people’s needs? – Does the care home involve residents in care planning, listen to and act on concerns and support their personal preferences.

• Are they well-led? – Is the leadership of the service effective and does it promote a culture of learning and improvement?

What are CQC ratings?

The Commission’s inspectors consider whether a care home is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led before deciding upon an overrall CQC rating for the service.

The Commission issues a CQC rating for each of the 5 CQC standards (mentioned above). This helps the public compare different care homes and make informed choices about specific care homes.

The CQC ratings for a care home are:

• Outstanding. This means the care home is performing exceptionally well.
• Good. The care home is performing well and meets expectations.
• Requires improvement. The care home is not performing as well as it should and needs to make improvements.
• Inadequate. This rating means the care home is performing poorly and enforcement action may be taken.

How many care homes in the UK are Outstanding?

The Care Quality Commission has registered 14,722 care homes (residential homes and nursing homes) in England to date (24 September 2025).

Only 4% are Outstanding. Only a small minority achieve the top rating.

Nearly 7 in 10 care homes are rated Good, showing the majority meet high standards.

15% combined are either Requires Improvement or Inadequate.

Currently, 1 in 8 homes are not rated.

CQC rating	Number of registered care homes	Percentage of care homes
Outstanding	553	4%
Good	10,036	68%
Requires Improvement	2,131	14%
Inadequate	119	1%
Not Rated	1,883	12.7%

What does a CQC inspection of a care home involve?

• A care home inspection involves inspectors reviewing previous CQC reports, gathering intelligence (such as concerns from whistle blowers) and planning the scope of their care home visit.
• A Care Quality Commission inspection may include inspectors, healthcare professionals and experts by experience visiting a care home.
• The inspection team visits the care home and it is usually unannounced. The visit can last from one to several days.
• CQC inspectors tour the care home and collect evidence during their visit through observation of care practices and review of documents such as care plans and risk assessments.
• Inspectors interview staff, residents and relatives.
• Inspectors also have feedback sessions with the management team.

How often does the CQC inspect care homes?

After a care home is registered with the CQC, the care watchdog should carry out an inspection of the home within the first 12 months.

• The CQC aims to carry out inspections at least once every two and a half years for homes rated Outstanding.
• Care homes rated Good are inspected at least once every two years. 
• Care homes rated as Requires Improvement must be reinspected within 12 months.
• Care homes rated Inadequate are inspected within six months to ensure urgent improvements are made.

What impact do Outstanding and Good care homes have on residents?

Residents’ quality of life is better in care homes rated as Good or Outstanding by the CQC, according to a study funded by NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research).

It also found that a 10% staff pay increase was linked to a 7% higher chance of a care home being rated as Good or Outstanding.

What must care homes report to the CQC?

Care homes in England are legally required to report certain events, incidents, and changes to the Care Quality Commission. These reports are known as notifications.

Notifications to the CQC by a care home provider must be made for:

• Deaths.
• Serious injuries.
• Abuse or abuse allegations.
• Referrals made to the local authority about a safeguarding concern.
• Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications made to deprive someone of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act.
• Outcome of DoLS applications.
• Police involvement.
• Unauthorised absence, involving a person at risk who is missing from a care home.
• Changes to management/provider.
• Temporary or permanent closure of service.

What powers does the CQC have? 

The Care Quality Commission regulates England’s care homes but it does not have powers to make complaints for someone, investigate complaints or resolve complaints.

The CQC can take action by:

• Issuing requirement notices or warning notices to highlight improvements it wants made and by when.
• Placing a care provider in special measures, supervising care quality and helping a provider improve within a set timescale.
• Imposing fines.
• Making changes to a care provider’s registration to restrict services and what they may do.
• Suspending or cancelling a provider’s registration.
• Prosecuting serious breaches in cases where people are harmed or in danger.

Can I complain to the CQC about a care home?

The Care Quality Commission does not have the power to make complaints on someone’s behalf, investigate complaints or resolve complaints.

The Commission wants to be made aware of any complaints about a care home. 

It can investigate complaints, if someone is unhappy about how powers have been executed under the Mental Health Act. This must be linked to people who are detained in hospital, subject to a community treatment order or subject to guardianship.

You can read this advice in our article How to complain about a care home in England.

How can I check a CQC rating for a care home?

When looking for a care home, it is vital to check the care home’s CQC inspection report.  

The CQC has an interactive map to help people access inspection reports and find out how local care homes have been rated, whether they’re deemed Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate.

The reports tell you whether a residential care home or nursing home has quality assurance systems in place.

It also indicates what level of service and standards the care home provides.

Every care home listed on carehome.co.uk includes details of inspection reports, therefore you can visit the website’s home page to start your search.