This week the CQC have announced the introduction of Return to Good assessments for social care providers rated as Good. Whilst those of us that keep up to date with CQC reports will have noticed these emerging on the website over the last few weeks, CQC have now formally announced this new style of inspections.
Eligible services include all care homes (residential, nursing, learning disability and autism services), as well as supported living and homecare services that support people in their own homes.
What is a Return to Good assessment?
Rather than carrying out a full routine assessment for every lower-risk service, the CQC has introduced a more proportionate approach for providers where there is strong evidence that a previous Good rating is likely to have been maintained.
Who is eligible?
Not every service rated Good will receive this type of assessment.
To be eligible, adult social care services must be:
- Rated as good overall and good in all 5 key questions
- Have a rating that is at least 6 or 7 years old
- Have a registered manager
- Provide no indication of a change in rating
They must not:
- Provide care or treatment to children
- Have added the service user band of ‘people with a learning disability and autism’ since they were last rated as good
- Have ongoing enforcement activity
If your service does not meet all of these criteria, the CQC is likely to continue using its usual assessment approach, which means a full, comprehensive inspection.
What do these inspections look like?
A Return to Good assessment focuses on 18 quality statements across the five CQC key questions.
Safe (6)
- Learning culture
- Safeguarding
- Involving people to manage risk
- Safe and effective staffing
- Safe environments
- Medicines optimisation
Effective (4)
- Assessing needs
- Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
Caring (2)
- Kindness, compassion and dignity
- Independence, choice and control
Responsive (3)
- Person-centred care
- Listening to and involving people
- Equity in experiences and outcomes
Well-led (3)
- Shared direction and culture
- Governance, management and sustainability
- Learning, improvement and innovation
- Monitoring and improving outcomes
- Consent to care and treatment
The assessment focuses heavily on people’s experiences, observations of care and targeted reviews of records, rather than a full assessment across every area of the framework. However, if inspectors identify concerns during planning or during the visit, they can stop the Return to Good process and instead carry out a full, comprehensive assessment.
Why has the CQC introduced this approach?
The CQC has thousands of registered services with ratings that are now several years old, and they have been open with their intention to tackle aged ratings and increase regulatory contact across the sector.
Return to Good assessments have been part of the inspection regime for GP providers for several months and, in recent weeks, have also been introduced for social care providers. The CQC announced this week that it has reached its target of 9,000 inspections. The targeted, rapid nature of Return to Good assessments is likely to have been pivotal in helping to achieve this.
These assessments enable inspectors to revisit lower-risk services more quickly, without placing an unnecessary burden on providers that continue to deliver good-quality care.
How QCS Can Help You Stay Inspection-Ready
Whether the CQC assesses all 34 quality statements under a full inspection or 18 through the Return to Good inspections, QCS gives teams the clarity and structure you need.
QCS provides:
- QCS Mock inspections aligned to the Return to Good framework that help test readiness and demonstrate effective governance
- A complete suite of QCS Policies and Procedures aligned with the Single Assessment Framework
- Key audits requested by the regulator
- QCS Feedback Surveys for staff, people who use services and partners, all aligned with the Single Assessment framework
- Lyra, our AI technology that gives staff instant, practical guidance based on your own policies