CQC Signals a Return to Familiar Inspection Approaches

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In March 2026, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published its initial response to the consultation Better Regulation, Better Care. The consultation attracted over 1,700 responses from providers, professionals, people who use services and other stakeholders, with strong support for the proposed changes.

For adult social care providers, the message is clear: CQC is continuing to reshape how it regulates services, with a focus on greater clarity, consistency and professional judgement.

A Return to Sector-Specific Frameworks

One of the most significant announcements is CQC's decision to move away from a single assessment framework covering all provider types.

Instead, separate assessment frameworks will be developed for different sectors, including adult social care. This recognises that care homes, supported living services and domiciliary care providers face different challenges and should be assessed against frameworks designed specifically for their sector.

Rating Characteristics Are Returning

Many providers will welcome the reintroduction of rating characteristics.

These are intended to provide clearer descriptions of what CQC expects to see at each rating level: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate. The aim is to improve transparency and help providers better understand what good quality care looks like.

Goodbye to Scoring

CQC has also confirmed that it intends to remove the scoring system introduced under the Single Assessment Framework.

Instead, ratings will be based on professional judgement, informed by evidence gathered during assessments and inspections. Inspectors will use the sector-specific frameworks and rating characteristics to reach a holistic judgement about the quality of care.

Key Lines of Enquiry Are Back

The consultation response confirms that CQC plans to replace quality statements with a new set of supporting questions and key lines of enquiry.

For many providers, this may feel more familiar and provide greater clarity about the areas inspectors will focus on during assessments.

Ratings Will Focus on the Five Key Questions

Future ratings will be awarded directly against the five familiar key questions:

• Safe

• Effective

• Caring

• Responsive

• Well-led

CQC will no longer make formal judgements below this level, instead considering all available evidence when reaching an overall judgement for each key question.

Improving Consistency

The consultation highlighted concerns about consistency and timeliness. In response, CQC has committed to:

• Simplifying its processes

• Improving the speed of assessments

• Providing additional training for inspectors

• Strengthening quality assurance arrangements

• Improving consistency in professional judgement.

Many providers will see this as an important acknowledgement of concerns raised since the introduction of the Single Assessment Framework.

What Does This Mean for Providers?

Although the new frameworks are still being refined and tested, the direction of travel is becoming clearer.

Providers can expect:

• A social care-specific assessment framework

• Greater clarity about inspection expectations

• A return to more recognisable inspection approaches

• Less emphasis on scoring and more emphasis on evidence-based professional judgement

• Continued focus on the five key questions.

Final Thoughts

The consultation response suggests that CQC has listened carefully to feedback from the sector. While many details still need to be developed, the proposed changes are intended to create a regulatory approach that is clearer, more proportionate and more consistent.

For care providers, the key message is that good quality care, strong leadership, effective governance and clear evidence will remain at the heart of future assessments. However, there is hope that the process itself will become easier to understand and more reflective of the realities of adult social care practice.