What should be ready before inspection?
Start with the evidence that shows how the service is managed day to day: recent audits, action plans, incident reviews, complaints and compliments, staff records, training oversight, supervision records, medicines checks, quality meetings and service-user feedback.
CQC can gather evidence on site and off site. Providers should therefore be able to retrieve evidence quickly and explain how it links to safety, quality, outcomes and improvement.
- Check that overdue actions have owners and review dates.
- Keep a short inspection folder or index so managers know where evidence sits.
- Review whether evidence is current across every registered location or branch.
- Make sure leaders can describe what changed because of audit findings or feedback.
What should a Registered Manager check?
A Registered Manager should look for gaps between what policies say should happen and what records show is happening. The most useful checks are practical: whether audits are complete, whether findings are followed up, whether staff files are current, and whether the provider can evidence learning.
- Latest audit schedule and completed audits.
- Open actions from audits, incidents, complaints and meetings.
- Training, supervision and appraisal position.
- Medication audit findings and follow-up where medicines are handled.
- Evidence of service-user, family and staff feedback.
What changes by care setting?
Homecare services often need clear evidence of call monitoring, missed or late visit follow-up, staff travel or rota pressures, and care-plan review activity. Residential and nursing services will usually need stronger daily-service governance evidence, including infection prevention, dependency, clinical risk and medication oversight. Supported living providers should also keep evidence around tenancy boundaries, support planning, safeguarding and positive risk-taking.
Practical next step
Run a short evidence review against your service type and record each gap as an action with an owner, date and follow-up note.
Sources to review
Regulatory guidance changes. Use these sources as review points before treating this guide as policy or legal advice.