CQC Inspection Checklist: 50 Things to Have Ready Before the Inspector Arrives

When CQC contacts you to announce an inspection, the preparation window is short. If your governance is good, you should not need to do much. But even well-run agencies benefit from a final check to ensure everything is in order. This checklist covers 50 things CQC inspectors routinely check during a domiciliary care inspection, organised by key question.

Use it as a pre-inspection review, or better still, as a monthly governance check so that you are always ready.

Safe (Items 1-15)

1. Safeguarding adults policy: current, references Care Act 2014, names your DSL, includes local authority contact details
2. Safeguarding referral log: all referrals recorded with outcomes and actions
3. Incident and accident records: complete, analysed for patterns, learning documented
4. Medication policy: current, covers competency assessment, error management, controlled drugs if applicable
5. Medication Administration Records (MARs): sample of recent MARs with no unexplained gaps
6. Medication competency assessments: completed for all staff administering medication
7. Moving and handling policy: current, references MHOR 1992 and LOLER 1998
8. Moving and handling risk assessments: individual assessments for every service user requiring support
9. Moving and handling training records: all relevant staff trained and assessed as competent
10. Infection prevention and control policy: current, references the Code of Practice, covers standard precautions
11. IPC audit records: regular audits with findings and actions
12. PPE supply records: evidence that adequate supplies are maintained and distributed
13. Risk assessments: environmental, individual, and activity-specific risk assessments for all service users
14. Lone working policy: current, covers check-in systems, risk assessment before first visits
15. Equipment maintenance records: LOLER certificates, service records for any equipment your agency provides

Effective (Items 16-25)

16. Care plans: person-centred, up to date, reviewed at stated intervals, signed by service user or representative
17. Care plan reviews: documented reviews with outcomes and any changes made
18. Mental Capacity Act policy: current, covers the five principles and the two-stage test
19. Capacity assessments: documented for any decisions where capacity is in question
20. Best interests decisions: documented where decisions have been made on behalf of people lacking capacity
21. Staff training matrix: shows all mandatory training, completion dates, and expiry dates for every staff member
22. Care Certificate evidence: completed for all care workers within the first 12 weeks of employment
23. Supervision records: regular one-to-one supervision for all staff, documented with actions
24. Appraisal records: annual appraisals completed for all staff
25. Multi-disciplinary working evidence: records of communication with GPs, district nurses, social workers, and other professionals

Caring (Items 26-32)

26. Service user feedback: recent surveys, questionnaires, or documented conversations about satisfaction
27. Family and carer feedback: evidence of engagement with families and informal carers
28. Dignity and respect evidence: care plans that reflect personal preferences, routines, and choices
29. Involvement in care planning: evidence that service users (and families where appropriate) are involved in care plan development and review
30. Privacy: systems for protecting service user information, secure storage, and appropriate sharing
31. Independence: care plans that promote independence and support people to do what they can for themselves
32. Compliments log: recorded positive feedback from service users, families, and professionals

Responsive (Items 33-40)

33. Complaints policy: current, references Regulation 16, includes escalation to the Ombudsman
34. Complaints log: all complaints recorded, investigated within timescales, outcomes documented
35. Learning from complaints: evidence that complaints have led to changes in practice
36. Service user guide: current, accessible, provides information about your service and how to raise concerns
37. Accessible information: evidence of meeting communication needs under the Accessible Information Standard
38. End of life care: if applicable, evidence of compassionate, planned approach to end of life support
39. Referral and assessment process: documented process for accepting new service users, including initial assessment
40. Flexibility: evidence of adapting care to meet changing needs, including unscheduled reviews when circumstances change

Well-Led (Items 41-50)

41. Statement of Purpose: current, accurate, reflects the service as it operates today
42. Registered manager registration: confirm your registration is current and any conditions are being met
43. Governance framework: documented quality assurance and audit systems
44. Audit records: regular audits of care plans, medication, safeguarding, complaints, staff files, with findings and actions
45. CQC notifications: all required notifications submitted on time
46. Duty of candour records: evidence of compliance with Regulation 20 for any notifiable safety incidents
47. Staff recruitment files: complete files for all staff meeting Schedule 3 requirements including DBS, references, ID, and employment history
48. Business continuity plan: current, tested, covers key risk scenarios
49. Staff meeting minutes: regular team meetings with documented discussions and actions
50. Policy review schedule: documented schedule showing review dates for all policies, with evidence of reviews completed

Using This Checklist

Do not wait for an inspection to use this list. Run through it monthly as part of your governance cycle. Assign each section to a responsible person and build the checks into your regular audit programme. The agencies that perform best at inspection are those that are always prepared, not those that scramble when CQC calls.

For detailed guidance on the policies and documents referenced in this checklist, see our CQC registration documents guide and our registered manager documents guide.