The 6Cs of care help shape how health and social care professionals deliver high-quality support every day. Whether you’re refreshing your knowledge, supporting your team or preparing for inspection, understanding these core values is essential.
QCS brings together expert guidance, policies and training in one connected system, helping your team put best practice into action with confidence.
See how QCS supports confident careThe 6Cs of Care Explained
The 6Cs of care are six core values that underpin high-quality health and social care. They provide a shared framework for delivering safe, compassionate and person-centred care, helping professionals make confident decisions that put people first.
The six values are Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment. Together, they shape how care is delivered every day, from building trusted relationships and promoting dignity to supporting teamwork and continuous improvement.
While the 6Cs set the standard, putting them into practice takes the right guidance, training and support. By bringing expert guidance, policies and learning together in one connected system, QCS helps care teams embed best practice into everyday care and deliver with confidence.
Care
Care is about putting people first. It means providing safe, high-quality, person-centred care that meets each individual’s needs, while treating them with dignity, respect and kindness every step of the way.
Compassion
Compassion means understanding how someone is feeling and responding with empathy. Taking the time to listen, show kindness and offer reassurance helps build trust and improves the experience of care.
Competence
Competence is having the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver safe, effective care. It means keeping your training up to date, following best practice and making informed decisions every day.
Communication
Good communication helps everyone stay informed and work together. Whether speaking with the people you support, their families or colleagues, clear and open communication reduces risk and helps deliver consistent, person-centred care.
Courage
Courage means speaking up when something isn’t right and doing what’s best for the people in your care. It includes raising concerns, learning from mistakes and driving improvements that make care safer and better.
Commitment
Commitment is about continually improving the quality of care you provide. It means staying up to date, supporting your team and remaining dedicated to delivering the best possible outcomes for the people you care for.
Book a personalised demoBuilding Confidence and Consistency Through the 6Cs
Understanding the 6Cs is one thing. Putting them into practice every day is what helps teams deliver safe, person-centred and high-quality care.
This starts with giving your team the right guidance, training and support. Clear policies, ongoing learning and trusted expert guidance help everyone work consistently, make confident decisions and deliver the highest standard of care.
QCS brings compliance, learning and expert guidance together in one connected system, making it easier to embed the 6Cs into everyday practice. The result is greater confidence, more consistency and better care across your service.
How the 6Cs Improve Quality of Care
The 6Cs help create a culture where people receive safe, compassionate and person-centred care. When these values are part of everyday practice, they improve the experience of care for the people you support while helping teams work with greater confidence and consistency.
They also strengthen communication, encourage continuous learning and support better decision-making across your service. This leads to higher-quality care, stronger teamwork and better outcomes for everyone involved.
By embedding the 6Cs into everyday care, providers can build a positive culture that supports both their teams and the people they care for.
FAQs
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The 6Cs of care are Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment. Together, they provide a framework for delivering safe, person-centred, high-quality care across health and social care services.
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The 6Cs help care professionals deliver consistent, compassionate and person-centred care. They support better communication, stronger teamwork and improved outcomes for the people receiving care.
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The 6Cs are used by health and social care professionals across a range of settings, including care homes, home care, supported living services, GP practices and other healthcare organisations.
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Care providers can embed the 6Cs through clear policies, regular training, ongoing learning and a culture of continuous improvement. Giving teams access to trusted guidance helps ensure these values are applied consistently in everyday care.
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QCS brings together expert guidance, policies, learning and compliance in one connected system, making it easier for care teams to embed the 6Cs into everyday practice and deliver safe, high-quality care with confidence.
