Frequently asked questions.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. It registers providers, monitors and inspects services, and publishes ratings to help the public make informed choices.

Any individual or organisation that carries out a 'regulated activity' — such as personal care, accommodation with nursing or personal care, or treatment of disease — must register with CQC before delivering that care. You cannot legally operate a regulated service until you are registered.

CQC aims to process complete, accurate applications in around 10 to 16 weeks. In practice, 3 to 6 months is common depending on the quality of your application and how quickly you respond to queries. We recommend planning 4 to 6 months from your decision to register to legally delivering care.

As of 2026, the new provider application fee is £1,522 and is non-refundable, even if your application is refused. Annual fees apply once you are registered and vary by service type and size. Always check the current figures on the CQC website before applying.

For every service, CQC asks whether it is Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. These five key questions are the constant foundation of CQC's assessment framework, with more detailed standards sitting beneath each one.

CQC awards one of four ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, or Inadequate. A service receives a rating for each key question and an overall rating.

The Registered Manager is the person responsible for the day-to-day running of the regulated activity and is accountable to CQC. The Nominated Individual is a director, manager or secretary of the organisation who is the main point of contact with CQC. Both must be suitable, fit, and able to fulfil their roles.

Yes. Since 2026, CQC rejects incomplete applications on receipt. A single missing or inconsistent document can mean you have to cancel and resubmit, which puts you back to the start of the queue. Submitting a complete, accurate application is the fastest route to registration.

CQC gathers evidence against the five key questions from a range of sources — including documents, observations, and feedback from people who use the service, their families, and staff. This may include a site visit and interviews with the Registered Manager and team.

We support care providers through every stage of compliance — from CQC registration and Statement of Purpose drafting to policies, mock inspections, interview preparation, audits, and ongoing consultancy. Our hands-on guidance is built on over 22 years of frontline care experience.