CQC Registration Process

It is paramount to check if your proposed services falls under the control of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) before attempting registration. Not all services are regulated and require registration.

The CQC is the regulator for health and social care services in England . The CQC's role and responsibility is to monitor the quality of regulated activities focusing mainly on safety. CQC regulation and compliance monitoring extends to hospitals, GP's ,dentists, care homes, ambulances and domiciliary care.

Registration with the CQC is only required when you propose to provide regulated services such as personal care. You do not need to register when you only provide services which fall outside the regulations such as support work, supplying workers to regulated services, cleaning and housework.

When you are satisfied that registration is indeed required you need to have an idea and understanding of the CQC fundamental Standards.

The CQC fundamental standards reflect the minimum performance expected from your organisation when promoting the rights of everyone. Your service should never fail against these standards.

One of the first things you should do is to be realistic as much as possible. Being a registered provider is a serious business as you are committing to serve others and navigate all regulations and legislation. Aim to start your services as manageable as possible particularly the services you will be providing. Do not include specialist services such as learning disabilities without suitable experience, training and competency. The CQC will ask about your credibility of providing such services. These can be added later after registration when your circumstances change. Do not omit to pay attention to other regulators such as local authorities, Heath and Safety Executive and the Information Commissioner.

The key to being on the CQC register is to prepare and be ready by fully understanding your responsibilities and regulations (fundamental standards). CQC registration is about getting your organisation and the person who will manage it on the register of providers. It is therefore important for there to be sound management and care systems that can demonstrate how your service will be managed effectively and safely. For those who love football, I do not think any of the teams that participated in the recent world cup in Qatar expected to win without practicing and preparation.

Ensure you have meaningful policies and procedures in place that reflect regulations, standards and legislation. You also need to fully understand these policies. All nominated individuals and registered managers will require DBS checks prior to application. The CQC require the DBS check for registered managers to be countersigned by them. They will also accept existing DBS checks from registered health care professionals such as registered nurses. You also need to submit a copy of your statement of purpose, financial viability and evidence of obtaining insurance. All your supporting evidence is normally expected to be dated less than 3 months from when the application is submitted.

You should only submit your New Provider Application and Registered Manager Application when you are prepared and ready. Ensure you choose a realistic date when you will be ready to start to deliver regulated services. Once you submit your application the regulation duties of the CQC commence and events can be very fast starting with the scrutiny of your application and being asked to participate in a fit-person interview. You should not put your self under unnecessary pressure or sabotage your chances of registration by being unprepared.

The foundation of your relationship with the CQC should be solid and not compromised by errors such as missing information or evidence that indicate lack of awareness and understanding of all registration requirements to manage a well-led, caring, safe, effective regulated service.

Above is the flow chart of how your application will be handled by the CQC. The diagram also highlights the stages taken to deal with a failed CQC interview.

Once you submit your CQC registration application form it goes through three stages. The first one is mainly clerical,checking if you have completed all parts of the form and submitted your evidence. Your form can be returned at this stage if missing fundamental information.

The second one involves actual checking of your response and evidence to ensure you meet CQC registration requirements. It is possible for the CQC at this stage to get in touch and seek clarification or further evidence. The CQC can at this stage also make a decision and refuse your application if it has fundamental errors. Not everybody gets a chance for a fit person interview if the evidence submitted on application causes serious concerns.

The third stage is when a fit person interview is planned and takes place. Some CQC inspectors will indicate to you after the meeting if they will be recommending you to be registered. Successful candidates will be emailed a certificate of registration after a few weeks. This is what you should be aiming for. Caretips can assist you to achieve this goal with our CQC Consultancy and application help service.