05/11/2025
CQC has launched its consultation ‘Better regulation, better care: Consultation on improving how we assess and rate providers’ which marks the next stage in its rebuilding process following the extensive criticisms of the Single Assessment Framework (“SAF”) (launched in early 2024) and the review of the regulator’s operational failings set out in the reports of Dame Penny Dash, Professor Sir Mike Richards, and the Care Providers Alliance.
The Consultation and details of how the regulator proposes to regulate the health and social care sector has been long awaited by all stakeholders. However, whilst reaffirming the direction of travel, the Consultation provides few additional details regarding the new regulatory approach beyond what has already been said to date. The devil of the new regulatory system will inevitably be in the details and, whilst the Consultation document promises that CQC “intend to publish the draft assessment frameworks on our website as part of our detailed engagement and co-production of their content”, those details are still awaited.
As such, the Consultation appears to largely be a statement of CQC’s intentions to reform the system (by producing assessment frameworks tailored to the specific sectors it regulates, and ratings characteristics guidance to inform its ratings decisions) which are already well known, without providing any of the detail as to what this will look like. CQC states that some of the detail will be the subject of “focused engagement sessions to hear the voices of people with lived experience and those working across the sectors [it] regulates”. No further details are provided as to how this ‘focussed engagement’ exercise will work, but, given the lack of detailed engagement with the sector at the time of introduction of the SAF, it is essential that CQC engages properly on this this time around.
And, whilst the Consultation does include some new proposals (such as in relation to the comments on inspection frequency, and possible changes to the approach to rating NHS and independent hospital locations) it is often not clear from the Consultation document quite what is being proposed on those issues.
In coming alerts we look at the knowns, and unknowns, in the Consultation in terms of:
- What will the assessment frameworks be?
- How will CQC decide ratings on assessments?
- How frequently will services be inspected?
- What change is CQC proposing to the overall ratings of NHS trusts?
- What change is CQC proposing to location-level ratings for NHS acute trusts and independent hospitals?
- What will inspection reports look like?
- What will be done in terms of relationships with providers?
All stakeholders are encouraged to review and engage with the Consultation before it closes on 11 December 2025.
If you wish to discuss any issues arising from the Consultation with us, please contact Carlton Sadler, Tracey Longfield, or Lindsey McNee.
