.svg)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has introduced significant changes to how care homes are assessed and rated, with new frameworks coming into effect from December 2024. These changes represent the most substantial shift in CQC inspection methodology in over a decade, affecting how care home providers prepare for inspections and demonstrate quality care.
What's Changed in the CQC Assessment Framework?
The most significant change is that CQC has moved away from scoring at the evidence category level to focusing on quality statements. This shift means inspectors now assess against specific quality statements rather than broad evidence categories, providing much more detailed and actionable feedback to care home providers.
Previously, care homes would receive ratings based on broad evidence categories, which often left providers unclear about exactly what needed improvement. The new system addresses this by giving ratings at the quality statement level, offering clearer guidance on specific areas that require attention.
The changes affect all assessments that started after Monday 2 December 2024. Any inspections that were already in progress before this date continued under the old system, while new inspections from December 2024 onwards use the updated framework.
Understanding the Five Key Questions
The CQC continues to assess care homes against five fundamental questions, but with enhanced focus on quality statements that provide much more specific guidance for providers.
Is the Service Safe? This question examines how well the care home protects residents from harm through effective risk management, safeguarding procedures, appropriate staffing levels, infection control measures, and safe medication management. Inspectors look for evidence that staff can identify potential risks and take appropriate action to prevent harm.
Is the Service Effective? This focuses on whether care and treatment achieve good outcomes for residents. Inspectors assess person-centred care planning, evidence-based practice, staff training and development, and how well the home monitors and reviews its services. They want to see that residents receive care that meets their individual needs and follows current best practice.
Is the Service Caring? This question examines how staff treat residents with dignity, respect, and compassion. Inspectors look for evidence that residents are involved in decisions about their care, that their privacy is respected, and that they receive emotional support when needed. The focus is on the quality of relationships between staff and residents.
Is the Service Responsive? This assesses how well the service meets individual needs and preferences. Inspectors examine whether the care home can adapt to changing needs, handle complaints effectively, provide meaningful activities, and support residents' connections with their communities.
Is the Service Well-led? This question focuses on leadership, management, and governance. Inspectors assess whether there are clear systems for quality assurance, continuous improvement, and effective leadership that promotes a positive culture throughout the care home.
CQC Rating System Comparison
What This Means for Care Home Providers
The new approach provides significantly more detailed feedback than the previous system. Rather than receiving broad suggestions for improvement, care homes now get specific guidance on exactly which quality statements need attention and what evidence inspectors expect to see.
This enhanced detail helps providers focus their improvement efforts more effectively. Instead of trying to address vague recommendations, care home managers can target specific areas with precise action plans. The system also makes it easier to track progress and demonstrate improvements over time.
However, the new system also requires more thorough preparation. Care homes need to map their evidence against specific quality statements and develop systems that clearly demonstrate compliance. This means staff training needs to be more focused on quality statement requirements, and documentation must clearly show how each statement is being met.
Preparing for Inspections Under the New System
Understanding what each quality statement requires is crucial for effective preparation. Each statement has specific criteria that inspectors will assess, and care homes need to have clear evidence demonstrating how they meet these requirements.
For example, when assessing medication management, inspectors look for safe storage of medicines, proper administration procedures, accurate record-keeping, and staff competency. They also want to see evidence of regular medication reviews, incident reporting, and learning from any medication-related incidents.
Care homes should create quality statement evidence files that contain policy documents showing their approach, training records demonstrating staff competency, audit results showing monitoring and improvement, resident feedback on the quality area, incident reports and learning actions, and evidence of continuous improvement.
Key Areas of Focus Under the New System
Safety remains a primary concern, with quality statements covering safeguarding, risk management, staffing, infection control, medication safety, and environmental safety. Inspectors want to see robust systems that protect residents from harm while promoting their independence and wellbeing.
Effectiveness focuses on whether care achieves good outcomes for residents. This includes person-centred care planning, evidence-based practice, staff development, and effective monitoring systems. Care homes need to demonstrate that their approaches are based on current best practice and that they regularly review and improve their services.
Caring aspects examine the quality of relationships and interactions between staff and residents. Inspectors look for evidence that residents are treated with dignity and respect, involved in decisions about their care, and supported to maintain their independence wherever possible.
Responsiveness assesses how well services meet individual needs and preferences. This includes adapting to changing needs, handling complaints effectively, providing meaningful activities, and supporting community connections.
Leadership examines governance, culture, and continuous improvement. Inspectors want to see clear leadership that promotes high-quality care, effective systems for monitoring and improving services, and a positive culture that puts residents at the centre of everything the care home does.
Practical Steps for Implementation
Care home providers should start by reviewing their current systems against the new quality statements. This involves mapping existing evidence and identifying any gaps that need to be addressed. Staff training should be updated to ensure everyone understands the quality statement requirements and their role in meeting them.
Documentation systems may need to be revised to ensure they clearly demonstrate compliance with each quality statement. This doesn't necessarily mean creating more paperwork, but rather ensuring that existing documentation is organised and accessible in a way that clearly shows how quality statements are being met.
Regular internal audits should be conducted against the quality statements to identify areas for improvement before inspections. This proactive approach helps ensure that any issues are addressed quickly and that the care home is always inspection-ready.
The Benefits of the New Approach
While the new system requires more detailed preparation, it offers significant benefits for care home providers. The specific feedback helps focus improvement efforts more effectively, leading to better outcomes for residents and more efficient use of resources.
The detailed quality statements also provide clearer guidance for staff development and training programmes. Rather than general training on broad topics, staff can receive targeted development that addresses specific quality statement requirements.
For care homes that consistently meet quality statements, the new system provides better recognition of good practice. The detailed feedback can highlight areas of excellence and help providers share best practice with other services.
Looking Forward
The CQC has indicated that it will continue to refine the new approach based on feedback from providers and inspectors. This means that care homes should stay engaged with the process and provide feedback on how the new system is working in practice.
Regular updates to quality statements and guidance should be expected as the system evolves. Care homes should ensure they have systems in place to stay informed about changes and update their practices accordingly.
The new approach represents a significant shift towards more detailed, specific, and actionable feedback for care home providers. While it requires more thorough preparation, it offers the potential for more focused improvement efforts and better outcomes for residents.
Excellence in Care Quality
If you're a care professional who values excellence and wants to work in an environment where quality is genuinely prioritised, Ashberry Care Homes offers exceptional opportunities to be part of a team that consistently achieves outstanding CQC ratings.
Ashberry Care Homes has built a reputation for understanding and exceeding CQC quality statements, creating environments where both residents and staff thrive. Our comprehensive approach to quality management means that staff receive excellent training and support to deliver person-centred care that meets the highest standards.
Why choose Ashberry Care Homes?
Working with Ashberry means joining a team that understands the importance of the CQC's quality statements and has systems in place to consistently meet and exceed them. Our staff receive thorough training on quality requirements, ongoing support to maintain high standards, and opportunities to contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
We believe that quality care starts with quality staff, which is why we invest in comprehensive training programmes, provide clear guidance on quality expectations, and create supportive environments where staff can develop their skills and advance their careers.
Ready to be part of a quality-focused team?
If you're committed to providing excellent care and want to work in an environment where quality is embedded in everything we do, contact Ashberry Care Homes today to explore opportunities to join our team.
This article reflects CQC assessment changes as of December 2024. Care providers should always refer to the latest CQC guidance and updates for the most current requirements.
%20(2).png)
.png)
