A guide to the CQC standards

Originally established in 2009, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was launched to regulate the health and social care services in England. 

As an independent regulator of health and social care in England, responsible to the Department of health and social care, it is the responsibility of the CQC to ensure that all health and social care services meet minimum fundamental standards of quality and safety.

It is also the role of the care quality commission to provide transparency through their CQC inspection by publishing their findings so that the public at large can choose the best possible care for their needs.

Every health organisation from local practice to city Hospital is required to be able to demonstrate they have put all the necessary steps and processes in place to be able to provide the best quality of care.

The remit of the CQC is extensive. They register care providers, they also inspect and monitor health and social care services and are able to take action to protect the public when they feel adequate services have not been met. The role is to provide an independent voice for the public through the delivery of their four values: excellent, caring, integrity, and teamwork.

What are the CQC 5 standards?

The CQC focuses their CQC standards on the quality and safety of services based on five standards that they believe matter most to the public. The CQC inspector will try to answer 5 questions, and they are:

Are patients kept safe?

Whether it's a hospital, adult social care or a care home, the CQC requires the same CQC standards to be met. Are patients protected from abuse and any avoidable harm? To be able to evidence this, healthcare organisations must ensure that incident reporting (including significant events and serious incidents) is embraced by staff throughout the organisation.

The organisation must be able to demonstrate a continuous improvement and implementation of culture and accountability amongst all members of staff. This must include having regular meetings and systems in place for robust monitoring.

Additionally, safety includes the premises and equipment must be hygienically safe. Each health organisation must also have robust monitoring for cleanliness and infection control.

Are you providing consistently effective services?

The care, treatment and support you provide must achieve good outcomes when possible to help maintain a quality of life. The care provider must deliver their care based on best practices outlined by the organisation's own policies.

To be able to demonstrate that your health organisation is meeting the standards you must carry out regular audits to evidence your commitment to continuously improving the outcome of patients. Each healthcare organisation must have the relevant guidelines and policies in place that meet government and national standards.

Your organisation is required to demonstrate that they participate in multidisciplinary meetings with agendas to work collaboratively to improve the care of patients through innovations, improvements in teamwork and identifying more efficient ways of working.

Is your health organisation caring?

Do your staff involve the patient in the treatment process and treat the patient with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

One of the objectives of each health care organisation is to empower patients to be part of their own ongoing care. This includes care homes and even dental practices.

You must be able to provide evidence that you actively seek the patient view and feedback and have created a culture of looking at innovative approaches to meeting the individual needs of patients, particularly patients from difficult or vulnerable groups. This could include older people, people with long-term injuries or people who experience poor mental health.

Is your organisation responsive to people's needs?

Are you able to demonstrate that your services are organised to be responsive to the needs of each individual patient? Simply, the CQC will be looking for evidence that each organisation actively seeks the views and engagement of the patient providing regular meetings in which the patient is encouraged to participate in.

Is your organisation well-led?

Can you demonstrate that the leadership, management and governance of your organisation have the culture and processes in place to provide high-quality care that is based on each individual's needs? 

The CQC will be looking for management to be engaging, staff to provide regular practice meetings, and training that ensures a sense of mutual passion for patient-centred care. This will further be evidenced by the low staff turnover and an infrastructure that allows for continuous staff feedback. For example staff appraisals or exit interviews.

The CQC provides very specific standards in what is required that leaves very little ambiguity. Essentially every patient has the right to expect the following 13 standards:

Person-centred care: you must tailor the care patients receive to meet their specific needs and preferences.

Dignity and respect: all patients within your health care organisation must be treated with dignity and respect at all times.

Consent: It is compulsory that wherever possible each patient must give their consent before they receive any care or treatment. In the cases where a person cannot consent the healthcare organisation must receive consent from the person acting on their behalf. This is required for every organisation, GP practice, nursing home and NHS or private hospital.

Safety: no patient should receive unsafe care or treatment. Wherever possible risk to harm must be avoided. Healthcare and social care providers must ensure that their staff have the relevant skills and experience to keep their patients safe.

Safeguarding from abuse: no patient should suffer from abuse or neglect whilst receiving care. This also includes any unnecessary or disproportionate restraint or limitation of freedom.

Food and drink: patients must receive the appropriate food and drink when receiving care to ensure they stay in good health.

Premises and equipment: all equipment should be in good working order. The premises must be kept clean and in good working order and be suitable for the treatment being delivered

complaints: all care providers should have a robust complaint system in place. This is to include investigating the complaint thoroughly and taking action where appropriate.

Good governance: it's not enough to have the right processes in place, appropriate governance must also be demonstrated to ensure that the processes are being implemented and the desired quality and safety of their care are being met.

Staffing: your staff must receive the necessary training, supervision and ongoing support that allows them to do their job in a manner that meets these standards.

Necessary skills and expertise of staff: the healthcare provider must demonstrate that they employ staff who are able to provide safe and appropriate care and treatment. This includes being able to demonstrate they have the relevant skills, expertise and qualifications for their role.

Transparency: as a service provider, you are expected to be transparent and open with the patient receiving care or treatment including if anything goes wrong.

Display of ratings: one is receiving your QC, QC rating providers are required to display the rating in a visible place. Additionally, the CD CQC report should be made available to the receivers of care when requested.