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CQC · Inspection Readiness · Aged Ratings
CQC is returning to Good-rated services: what managers need to check
CQC has announced that it is returning to adult social care services with older Good ratings to confirm whether those ratings remain accurate.
The approach is more streamlined than a full assessment. In practical terms, CQC will listen to people, relatives, staff and professionals, observe care and support in practice, and review records and documents to confirm or challenge what it has heard and seen.
For registered managers, the key question is this. Do people's experiences, observed practice and your records tell the same story?
Carevia gives registered managers and quality leads the tools, templates and structured oversight to evidence what is happening in the service now, rather than what the last report said years ago.
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Published: 30 July 2026Approx. 9 minute readGovernance · Inspection readiness
CQC's stated approach
CQC describes an approach centred on the importance of people's experiences and outcomes from care, supported by its observations of care and support, and backed up with reviews of records and other relevant documentation "to validate what we have seen and been told."
CQC says this programme will apply to services that:
are rated Good overall and Good in all five key questions
have a rating that is at least six or seven years old
have a registered manager
show no current indication that the rating has changed
do not provide care or treatment to children
have not added the service user band for people with a learning disability and autistic people since the previous Good rating
have no ongoing enforcement activity
The approach can include care homes, nursing homes, supported living services and homecare services. Services supporting autistic people and people with a learning disability may be included where the provider was already supporting that group when the previous Good rating was awarded. CQC has also confirmed that assessments may still be announced or unannounced.
Not every service with an old Good rating will be included. CQC may also expand the assessment if concerns or evidence of outstanding practice emerge.
CQC will begin with people's experiences
CQC says it will spend more time gathering feedback from people using the service, relatives and visitors, visiting professionals, staff and leaders. Inspectors will also observe care where possible to understand what life is like for people.
Managers should therefore know what people are experiencing now, not what the last inspection report said six or seven years ago.
Useful questions include:
Do people feel safe?
Are staff respectful and responsive?
Can people make choices and say no?
Are they supported to do things that matter to them?
Do staff understand how they communicate?
What happens when they or their relatives raise concerns?
Are there shifts or times when support is less reliable?
What outcomes has the service helped them achieve?
Avoid relying only on surveys asking whether people are happy. Broad satisfaction questions can miss inconsistency, limited choice, delays or restrictions that have become normalised.
An open-door culture is useful evidence only where people can see that concerns are listened to and acted upon.
Observation will test the reality of care
CQC will use observation to understand what daily life is like for people.
Inspectors may notice:
how staff speak to and about people
whether consent is sought
whether staff respond promptly
whether people receive meaningful interaction
how privacy and dignity are protected
whether medicines are given safely
whether staffing works in practice
whether the environment is clean and suitable
how staff respond when someone is distressed
Managers should observe ordinary practice across different times and staff teams. A planned walk-round during office hours may not show what happens during a pressured morning, an evening shift or a weekend supported by agency staff.
The purpose is not to catch staff out. It is to establish whether the service described in care plans, audits and management reports is visible in practice.
Records will validate what CQC hears and sees
CQC has not reduced the importance of records. It says record and document checks will be proportionate, targeted and informed by people's feedback and inspectors' observations.
This means CQC may follow the evidence. For example:
if someone reports late medicines, inspectors may review MAR records, administration times, incidents and staffing
if relatives describe missed activities, they may review daily notes, rotas and activity planning
if staff describe a strong learning culture, they may examine incidents, investigations and evidence that practice changed
if managers say people are involved in their care, they may review care-plan meetings, accessible information and changes made following feedback
Records should support what people say and what inspectors observe. They should not present a more reassuring version of the service.
Managers should look for places where evidence does not align. Examples include:
people report delayed support, but rotas appear fully covered
care plans describe independence, but staff provide extensive assistance
audits show medicines compliance, but errors continue
managers describe an open culture, but relatives feel dismissed
records describe community participation, but people rarely leave home
supervision records show staff understand consent, but observation suggests otherwise
action plans are closed, but the same concerns recur
Contradictory evidence does not automatically prove poor care, but it requires investigation. Managers should not simply accept whichever source is most reassuring.
Identify both positive experiences and areas of inconsistency.
Observe
Observe the areas raised through feedback. This might include:
medication rounds
mealtimes
personal care
handovers
community access
evening or weekend support
staff communication with people
Validate
Review the records that should explain or support what you heard and saw, including:
care plans and risk assessments
daily notes
medicines records
incidents and safeguarding
complaints
staff rotas
training and competency
supervision
audits and action plans
The aim is not to assemble a perfect inspection folder. It is to establish whether the evidence tells a credible and consistent story.
Organise the evidence without building another folder
The Carevia Pro+ Inspection Readiness Dashboard helps managers hold evidence and actions in one place across the quality statements, alongside the audits, supervision templates and governance tools in Carevia Pro.
Read the records, audits, incidents, complaints and other evidence.
A
Ask
Ask people, relatives, staff and professionals what is happening.
O
Observe
Observe whether practice matches what has been recorded and described.
F
Feedforward
Feedforward by deciding what needs to change, who is responsible and how improvement will be verified.
The final stage matters. Identifying a gap is not enough. Managers need evidence that action improved people's experience or outcomes.
This is part of effective governance under Regulation 17. An audit or action plan shows management activity. It does not automatically show that care improved.
The 18 quality statements still matter
CQC will normally assess 18 quality statements across Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. It may expand the assessment if concerns or outstanding practice are identified.
Managers do not need to create 18 new evidence folders. For each statement, ask:
What are people experiencing, what would we observe, and what records validate it?
For example:
Safeguarding. Do people feel safe, do staff recognise concerns and do records show effective protection?
Medicines optimisation. Do people receive medicines safely and at the right time, and do records confirm this?
Person-centred care. Does daily life reflect what matters to the person?
Governance. Do leaders understand current risks and verify that actions improve practice?
What managers should do now
Services that may be eligible should:
confirm whether they meet CQC's eligibility criteria
speak with people, relatives, staff and professionals
observe practice across different shifts
review records that should validate what was heard and seen
investigate contradictions
prioritise risks affecting safety, rights and quality of life
return to verify that actions made a difference
The Carevia Pro+ Inspection Readiness Dashboard can help managers organise evidence and actions, but it should support direct assurance rather than replace it.
Final reflection
CQC's new programme is streamlined, but its evidence approach is clear.
Inspectors will listen to people, look at outcomes, observe practice and use records to confirm or challenge what they find.
For services with an old Good rating, inspection readiness should not begin with creating more paperwork. It should begin by asking whether people's experiences, staff practice and recorded evidence still align.
A Good rating awarded six or seven years ago is historical evidence. Providers need current evidence that people are still receiving Good care today.
Frequently asked questions
Which services are eligible for CQC's Good-rated services programme?
Eligible services must be rated Good overall and Good in all five key questions, usually have a rating at least six or seven years old, have a registered manager, show no indication of a rating change and have no ongoing enforcement activity.
Further conditions apply to services providing care to children and services that have added the service user band for people with a learning disability and autistic people since the last rating.
Will CQC still review records and documents?
Yes. CQC says record and document checks will be targeted and informed by what people say and what inspectors observe.
The records will be used to validate or challenge the evidence gathered through feedback and observation.
What evidence should registered managers check first?
Start with people's current experiences and outcomes. Speak with people, relatives, staff and professionals, then observe the areas they raise.
Afterwards, review the records that should support or explain what you heard and saw.
Should services create 18 new evidence folders?
Not necessarily. Managers should know where existing evidence is held, whether it is current and whether it aligns with people's experiences and observed practice.
Creating duplicate folders may add work without strengthening assurance.
Can CQC expand the assessment?
Yes. CQC may assess additional quality statements if concerns or evidence of outstanding practice emerge during planning.
Current evidence, not historical evidence
Carevia Pro gives you the audits, supervision templates, governance tools and policy library to evidence what is happening in your service now. Carevia Pro+ adds the Inspection Readiness Dashboard, the RAOF™ Time Planner and Ask Carevia+.
Source note. This article is based on CQC's published information about its approach to services with aged ratings, including its update on priorities for delivering more assessments and tackling aged ratings, published 26 May 2026. CQC guidance is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Eligibility criteria and the scope of assessments may change, so providers should check CQC's current published information before relying on the detail set out here.
Carevia is not a legal service and this article is not legal advice. It is general guidance for adult social care providers. Always refer to official CQC guidance and use your own professional judgement.
