The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

When setting up your own health or social care organisation, you may be required to be registered and regulated under CQC guidelines.

What Is CQC Registration?

You may need to apply for CQC registration if you are starting a new service that is regulated by the Commission. Examples of new services that need to be registered include:

• Care homes
• Hospitals
• Dental surgeries
• GP practices
• Home care agency

You may also need to register because of a change in the legal entity that runs your existing services.

Before you apply, you will need to be clear about the application you are making. You need to ensure you understand the guidelines and if it is required for your organisation to be registered. You also need to be able to explain and show how you will follow the regulations.

What Does It Entail?

When you begin the process of registering with the CQC, they will arrange an initial interview to ensure you are able to provide a fully regulated and compliant service.

CQC Registration is divided into 8 parts:

1. 1. Who? – Tell them who you are. This is important to allow them to gain an insight into you and your intentions.
   2. What? – What services are you looking to deliver as part of your provider?
   3. Where? – Where are you looking to locate your provider?
   4. When? – When do you intend to start?
   5. How? – Parts 5 and 6 involve the Standards of Practice, Regulation and Required Documents. This outlines what you’ll need to register with the CQC and how you intend to carry out your services.
   6. Documents – Along with Part 5, this involves the Standards of Practice, Regulation and Required Documents.
   7. Review – You will be required to review your application, ensuring you’ve filled it out correctly and in full.
   8. Declaration – This part of your registration requires your signature, stating that all the information you provided is accurate.

The CQC will also conduct inspections in order to establish whether your service is complying with the Fundamental Standards of Care. They will use the Key Lines of Enquiry to assess how your service is working alongside these standards.

How Can Care 4 Quality. Help with My Registration?

We pride ourselves on the fact that we support all healthcare providers, whether you are an established organisation or a provider just starting up. We offer tailored support covering all 15 areas of regulated activity in the UK and our specialist team are always on hand to guide you through the multiple stages of CQC registration.

As well as assisting you with the registration process, we can also support you to prepare for your CQC interviews and inspections. Our mock inspections mirror the actual inspections and will ensure that you are fully prepared for any eventuality when the real ones come around. We will also produce a comprehensive report based on our findings to help you improve your services. Our inspections team are made up of ex-CQC inspectors and experts in the field of health and social care, so they know exactly what to look out for within your organisation.

To find out more about how we can help you register with the CQC, contact us today.