Guides

6 June 2026

How to run an IPC audit in your care home — hand hygiene, PPE, environmental cleanliness, outbreak management, and what CQC expects for quality statement S7.

30 May 2026

Medication audits for care homes — NICE SC1 standards, controlled drugs requirements, MAR chart accuracy checks, and CQC common findings with audit checklists.

23 May 2026

CQC safe staffing requirements for care homes — dependency tools, staffing calculators, evidence requirements, and how to avoid common inspection findings.

16 May 2026

Fire risk assessment, COSHH, falls, and all care home risk assessments CQC expects — types, review frequencies, documentation standards, and common mistakes.

9 May 2026

Duty of candour examples for care homes under Regulation 20. Notifiable safety incidents, disclosure timelines, CQC enforcement cases, and a compliance checklist.

2 May 2026

How to become a CQC inspector — qualifications, experience requirements, the application process, and what CQC inspection work involves day to day.

25 April 2026

How to build care home compliance audits into a structured schedule. Frequency recommendations, CQC quality statement alignment, and action tracking for every audit type.

18 April 2026

How to complain about a care home and what CQC expects from complaints procedures under Regulation 16. Recording, responding, escalation routes, and driving improvement.

11 April 2026

What CQC inspections look for under the Well-Led key question — practical governance evidence examples for small care homes under the single assessment framework.

4 April 2026

All 13 fundamental standards of care under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Regulations 2014, with CQC enforcement examples and evidence guidance for care homes.

28 March 2026

Complete list of care home policies and procedures CQC expects, mapped to key questions and quality statements, with review frequency and version control guidance.

21 March 2026

How to run a CQC mock inspection in your care home — step-by-step process, sample questions for staff, document checklist, and how to act on findings.

14 March 2026

What CQC look for in care homes during inspections — the five key questions, evidence categories, common findings, and a practical checklist to prepare.

7 March 2026

How often CQC inspects care homes under the single assessment framework — inspection frequency, what triggers assessments, focused vs full inspections, and how to check your last rating.

28 February 2026

All 34 CQC quality statements across the five key questions explained, with practical evidence examples for care home managers preparing for assessment.

21 February 2026

CQC's inspection backlog, the 9,000-assessment target for 2025/26, and what the Penny Dash review means for your care home. Practical steps to prepare.

14 February 2026

Checklist for evaluating care home compliance software. CQC alignment, key features, pricing expectations, red flags, and why integrated beats piecemeal.

7 February 2026

How to organise care home documentation into a CQC evidence pack by quality statement and evidence category. Filing structure, common mistakes, and what assessors look for.

31 January 2026

CQC compliance guide for small care homes under the Single Assessment Framework. All 34 quality statements, common failures, and step-by-step preparation.