New Care Providers
For founders preparing to register a domiciliary care, supported living or care service.
CQC & Care Business Support
Prepare your care business for CQC registration, compliance and inspection readiness.
Hubentra supports care providers with practical preparation for CQC registration, Statement of Purpose, care policies, safeguarding, digital systems, operational setup and ongoing compliance readiness.
Whether you are preparing to register a new care service or already registered and want to stay inspection-ready, the right documents, systems and evidence should be in place from day one.
Compliance dashboard
LiveRegistration readiness
Documents in review
Needs reviewStatement of Purpose
Draft v2
Needs reviewPolicies & procedures
Care-specific set
ReadySafeguarding
Process active
ReadyDigital systems
Care planning gap
MissingEvidence & records
Audit cycle next
High priorityInspection readiness
Quarterly review
Needs reviewInspection readinessBuilt day one
Who it's for
Who this support is for
Specialist CQC and care business support for providers at every stage — from those preparing to register, to those strengthening compliance and inspection readiness.
Existing Registered Providers
For providers who want to improve documentation, systems, governance and inspection readiness.
Registered Managers
For managers responsible for day-to-day regulated activity, quality, staffing and care delivery.
Nominated Individuals / Providers
For those responsible for supervising the management of regulated activity on behalf of the provider.
Care Businesses Expanding
For providers adding new locations, services or regulated activities.
What CQC is
Understanding CQC and regulated care
The Care Quality Commission regulates health and social care services in England. If your business will provide regulated activity, such as personal care in people's homes, you may need to register before delivering the service.
Personal care
Domiciliary care
Supported living with personal care
Nursing or treatment-related services
Care homes
Other regulated health and care services
A note of caution
Not every care-related business needs CQC registration, but if you provide a regulated activity, delivering the service without registration can create serious compliance issues.
Unsure if you need registration?
We can help you check before you spend time applying.
Readiness Checker
Are you ready to register or stay inspection-ready?
Answer a few practical checks to see which areas may need attention before you apply, expand or prepare for inspection. Your progress is saved on this device.
Readiness score
0%
0 of 38 items checked
Early preparation
You're at the early stage. Start with your service model, key roles and Statement of Purpose, then build from there.
Top missing area
Documents & Policies
9 items to review
Top missing area
Safeguarding & Quality
7 items to review
Top missing area
Staffing & Recruitment
6 items to review
Before you apply
What should be in place before considering CQC registration?
These are the foundations CQC will expect to see — your service model, leadership, policies and systems should all be working together.
- Step 01
Clear Service Model
You should know what service you will provide, who it is for, where it will operate and whether regulated activity applies.
- Step 02
Statement of Purpose
Your Statement of Purpose should explain the service, regulated activities, aims, locations, service users and management arrangements.
- Step 03
Registered Manager Arrangements
You should identify the person who will be responsible for managing regulated activity day to day.
- Step 04
Nominated Individual / Provider Oversight
Where applicable, the provider should have clear oversight and governance arrangements.
- Step 05
Policies and Procedures
Your policies should be relevant, practical and aligned with how the service will operate.
- Step 06
Safeguarding and Risk
You should have clear safeguarding, incident reporting, risk assessment and escalation processes.
- Step 07
Recruitment and Training
You should understand how staff will be recruited, checked, inducted, trained, supervised and supported.
- Step 08
Digital Records and Evidence
You should be able to maintain records, audits, logs and evidence that show how the service is managed.
- Step 09
Quality Assurance
You should know how you will monitor quality, gather feedback, improve the service and respond to concerns.
- Step 10
Business Plan and Financial Forecast
You should understand how the service will be sustainable and resourced.
Insight
CQC preparation is not only about submitting an application. It is about showing that the service has the leadership, systems and safeguards needed to deliver safe and effective care.
Two key roles
The two key roles CQC will look at closely
Two distinct responsibilities sit at the heart of every regulated service. Understanding where they meet — and where they differ — matters from day one.
Registered Manager
Day-to-day management of regulated activity
The registered manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of the regulated activity. They should understand care delivery, safeguarding, quality assurance, staff management, records and how the service will meet regulatory expectations.
- Day-to-day leadership
- Care delivery oversight
- Safeguarding awareness
- Staff supervision
- Quality monitoring
- Records and audits
- Service improvement
Nominated Individual
Provider-level oversight and governance
The nominated individual is usually the person nominated by the provider to supervise the management of regulated activity. They should have sufficient authority, knowledge and oversight to make sure the provider meets its responsibilities.
- Provider-level oversight
- Governance responsibility
- Compliance awareness
- Ensuring resources and systems are in place
- Monitoring performance
- Supporting the registered manager
Common confusion
The registered manager and nominated individual are not always the same thing. CQC will want to understand who is responsible for operational management and who provides provider-level oversight.
Assessment framework
Understanding CQC's assessment approach
CQC assessment has moved away from the older KLOE-style prompts and now uses a framework built around the five key questions, quality statements and evidence categories.
The five key questions
Safe
People are protected from avoidable harm and abuse.
Effective
Care, treatment and support achieve good outcomes and are based on evidence where relevant.
Caring
People are treated with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect.
Responsive
Services meet people's needs and respond to concerns.
Well-led
Leadership, governance and culture support high-quality, person-centred care.
Quality statements
Quality statements are expressed as "we statements" and describe what providers should be doing to deliver high-quality, person-centred care. They sit under each of the five key questions and describe good practice in plain language.
we …statements that describe how the service shows good practice in everyday care
The six evidence categories
People's experience
Feedback from staff and leaders
Feedback from partners
Observation
Processes
Outcomes
An evolving framework
CQC has consulted on further changes to its assessment approach, including moving away from a single assessment framework, reintroducing sector-specific assessment frameworks and rating characteristics, changing quality statements to supporting key lines of enquiry, and removing scoring from the assessment methodology. This is an evolving area — providers should follow current CQC guidance and build systems that can evidence quality in practice, not just hold policies on paper.
Policies & evidence
Policies matter, but evidence matters more
Policies are essential, but they must reflect how the service actually operates. A care provider should be able to show that policies are understood, implemented and supported by records, audits, supervision and improvement activity.
Safeguarding
Medication
Recruitment
Complaints
Incident reporting
Whistleblowing
Mental capacity and consent
Equality and human rights
Risk assessment
Infection prevention and control
Care planning
Data protection and confidentiality
Safeguarding highlight
Safeguarding should be one of the strongest areas in any care service. Providers should be able to show how concerns are recognised, reported, escalated, recorded and reviewed.
Evidence inspectors typically expect to see
- Completed audits
- Incident logs
- Safeguarding referrals
- Complaints records
- Staff supervision records
- Training records
- Service user feedback
- Care plan reviews
- Risk assessments
- Governance meeting notes
Digital systems
Digital systems can strengthen your compliance from day one
Care providers should think carefully about the systems they will use to manage care plans, risk assessments, staff files, policies, audits, incidents, complaints, training and communication.
Care Planning System
Staff Records and HR System
Policy Management
Incident and Complaints Logs
Training Matrix
Quality Audits
Rostering and Scheduling
Document Storage
Communication and Alerts
Digital systems are not just convenient. They help create consistent records and evidence, which matters when preparing for inspection or demonstrating how the service is governed.
Need help choosing systems?
We help care providers select and set up tools that fit their service model.
Already registered
Already registered? Do not wait for CQC to prepare
Inspection readiness should not begin when CQC contacts you. A well-led service should be able to show quality, safety, governance and improvement activity at any time.
- Cadence
Daily
Safe care deliveryRecordsCommunication - Cadence
Weekly
IssuesIncidentsStaffingRisks - Cadence
Monthly
AuditsSupervisionTrainingComplaintsFeedback - Cadence
Quarterly
Governance reviewAction plansPolicy reviewService improvement - Cadence
Ongoing
Evidence gatheringImprovement culture
If you only start preparing when inspection feels close, it is often too late to fix weak records, missing audits or poor governance evidence.
Common mistakes
Common CQC preparation and inspection mistakes
Most issues we see are avoidable when providers prepare properly and embed compliance into everyday operations.
Treating policies as paperwork instead of practice
Not understanding regulated activity
Unclear registered manager or nominated individual responsibilities
Weak safeguarding evidence
Poor recruitment records
No quality assurance process
No training matrix
No clear complaints process
Weak incident reporting
Relying on verbal explanations instead of records
Waiting until inspection before preparing evidence
Using generic policies that do not match the service
How Hubentra helps
How Hubentra helps care providers prepare properly
Practical, specialist support across the areas that matter most for CQC registration, compliance and inspection readiness.
CQC Registration Preparation
Support with readiness, documentation and application preparation.
Statement of Purpose
Professional support preparing or reviewing your Statement of Purpose.
Care Policies and Procedures
Practical, care-focused policies that support your service model.
Safeguarding and Governance
Support setting up safeguarding, incident, complaints and governance processes.
Registered Manager / NI Preparation
Support understanding role responsibilities and required evidence.
Digital Systems Setup
Guidance on care planning, staff records, policy systems, audits and operational tools.
Inspection Readiness Review
Review your current evidence, records, policies and governance arrangements.
Ongoing Compliance Support
Support to help you stay organised after registration.
Support pathways
Choose the support pathway that fits your stage
Whether you are preparing to register, already registered, or focused on systems and evidence — we have a clear pathway for each stage.
Stage 1
Preparing to Register
New care providers preparing to apply to CQC.
- CQC application preparation
- Statement of Purpose
- Care policies and procedures
- Business plan and financial forecast
- Service setup guidance
Next step: Start with a CQC readiness consultation.
Book CQC ConsultationStage 2
Already Registered
Providers improving compliance and inspection readiness.
- Policy and procedure review
- Governance improvement
- Quality assurance framework
- Inspection readiness review
- Action plan and priorities
Next step: Begin with an inspection readiness review.
Book Readiness ReviewStage 3
Systems & Compliance Setup
Providers strengthening digital systems and evidence.
- Digital care planning systems
- Staff records and HR setup
- Audit and quality tools
- Document workflows
- Evidence collection structures
Next step: Speak to us about systems and operations.
Book Systems Consultation Download checklist
Download your CQC readiness checklist
Use this checklist to review the key documents, systems, roles and evidence areas to consider before applying for registration or preparing for inspection.
PDF
CQC Readiness Checklist
A practical checklist covering documents, policies, roles, systems and evidence to consider before applying to CQC or preparing for inspection.
FAQs
Frequently asked CQC questions
Short, practical answers to the questions care providers ask us most often.
Disclaimer: This page provides general guidance only. Hubentra is not a regulator and does not make CQC registration decisions. Providers should check current CQC guidance and seek appropriate professional advice where needed.
CQC support
Ready to prepare your care business properly?
Whether you are applying for CQC registration or already registered and want to strengthen your compliance, Hubentra can help you put the right documents, systems and evidence in place.