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Knowledge hub · CQC registration
Who needs a registered manager, the legal tests in Regulation 7, whether you need Level 5, how to apply, what the fit person interview covers and what the role makes you personally responsible for. Checked against CQC and the law on 18 October 2026.
By the Care Sync Experts registration team, led by a former CQC Senior Inspector Manager with more than 20 years in regulation. Last checked .
A CQC registered manager is the person registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage a regulated activity day to day. They share legal responsibility with the provider for meeting the regulations. To become one you must pass the Regulation 7 tests (good character, the right qualifications, competence, skills and experience, fitness for the role and the Schedule 3 checks) and CQC's own assessment. There is no fee.
This guide is for care managers applying for the first time, providers choosing a manager, and owners thinking of taking the role themselves. It covers England, where CQC regulates. Children's homes register their managers with Ofsted instead.
| The law | Regulation 7 of the Regulated Activities Regulations 2014 |
|---|---|
| Who must have one | Organisations and partnerships, for every regulated activity. Individual providers only if they are not in full-time day-to-day charge |
| Qualification | Not named in law. CQC says a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management would strengthen a home care application |
| DBS check | Enhanced, countersigned by CQC, issued in the last 12 months. The Update Service is not accepted |
| Work history | Full history from age 16, with any gap over 4 weeks explained |
| Application | CQC's registered manager application form, sent by email |
| Fee | £0. CQC charges no fee to register a manager |
| How long it takes | CQC says a few months. You cannot manage until it confirms |
| Interview | CQC may interview you by phone, online or face to face |
| If refused | Notice of proposal, 28 days to respond, then a notice of decision you can appeal to a tribunal |
Source: CQC register as a new manager (8 August 2025); Regulation 7; CQC DBS checks; CQC fees guidance; CQC outcome of your application. Full list under Sources.
Who needs one
Source: Regulation 5, Registration Regulations 2009; CQC, do I need to register a manager? (29 January 2025)
One manager, several activities or locations. A registered manager can cover more than one regulated activity, and more than one location if they can show they can manage each effectively.
Job shares are allowed. CQC can register more than one manager for the same location.
NHS bodies are the exception. They do not need a registered manager unless CQC imposes a condition.
Check any service. The "Registration info" tab on a location's page at cqc.org.uk names its registered manager.
The legal tests
Regulation 7(2)(a)
Judged against Schedule 4 Part 2, which covers relevant convictions and removal from a professional register. CQC also looks at honesty and integrity, using your DBS certificate and work history.
Regulation 7(2)(b)
The right mix for the service you will manage. CQC also expects you to know the law that applies, including the 2008 Act and its Regulations.
Regulation 7(2)(c)
Able to do the job with reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. A long-term condition or disability does not rule anyone out.
Regulation 7(2)(d)
The records any employer must hold, such as proof of identity, a criminal record certificate, evidence of conduct in past care work and qualifications.
CQC's guidance turns the four tests into a practical list. Have all of this ready before the application goes in.
Source: Regulation 7, Regulated Activities Regulations 2014; CQC, register as a new manager (8 August 2025). CQC cannot prosecute a breach of Regulation 7 itself, but it can take regulatory action.
Qualifications
The law
Regulation 7 asks for the necessary qualifications, competence, skills and experience. It does not name a certificate.
CQC
For home care managers, a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management or equivalent "would strengthen your application". Other services may need qualifications that match their area.
GOV.UK Care Workforce Pathway
Updated 16 July 2026: registered managers "must have or be working towards" a Level 5 Diploma (or equivalent). This is guidance for employers, not law, and sets no deadline.
Skills for Care published criteria in August 2025 for a new Level 5 Diploma in Leading and Managing an Adult Care Service, aimed at registered managers, especially those new to the role. Awarding bodies could offer it from 1 April 2026. It takes 900 to 950 hours of total qualification time.
Without Level 5 you can still be registered if you show the competence and experience the role needs, and enrolling shows CQC you are working towards it. Our guide to the qualifications you need to start a care agency covers the provider side.
Source: GOV.UK, Care Workforce Pathway: registered manager role category (16 July 2026); CQC, register as a new manager.
Step by step
Agree which regulated activities and locations you will manage. If the provider is applying for the first time, CQC needs your manager forms sent with the provider application, so the two go in together.
CQC applies for this itself. It will not accept the DBS Update Service or third party checkers such as uCheck, and rejects certificates more than 12 months old. It can take up to 60 working days, so start first.
Your full work history from age 16 with any gap over 4 weeks explained, copies of qualifications and training, and contact details for your GP and your last employer.
Use the "New registered manager application form", or the "Continue under a new provider: manager application form" if a new provider is taking over a location you already manage. Add a section for each extra location, then email it to HSCA_Applications@cqc.org.uk (under 10MB).
Applications are dealt with in the order they arrive. CQC may ask you for more information before it decides whether to interview you.
CQC may interview you by phone, online or face to face. For a new provider, failing to agree a date within 28 days can mean the application is returned or refused. How to prepare.
CQC tells you by email. You cannot manage the regulated activity until your registration is confirmed. Giving false or misleading information can lead to a fine of up to £2,500.
You receive a notice of proposal and have 28 calendar days to send representations. CQC then issues a notice of decision, which you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal.
Source: CQC, register as a new manager; CQC, manager application form; CQC, DBS checks; CQC, outcome of your application.
Fit person interview
Examples of the questions we prepare managers for. CQC does not publish a fixed list, and every interview follows the service in front of it.
Want to rehearse? Our CQC interview preparation builds mock interviews around your own documents, and our list of registered manager interview questions goes deeper on each topic.
Source: CQC, assessing your application; CQC, register as a provider (25 August 2026).
The role
Regulation 12
Risk assessments, safe medicines handling, infection control and the right equipment.
Regulation 13
Preventing abuse, acting on concerns and referring to the local authority.
Regulation 18
Enough suitably qualified staff, with supervision, appraisal and training.
Regulation 19
The checks and records Schedule 3 requires before anyone starts work.
Regulation 16
A working complaints system, with every complaint investigated and answered.
Regulation 17
Audits, accurate records, learning from incidents and acting on feedback.
Regulation 20
Being open, telling people and apologising when something goes wrong.
Registration Regulations 2009
Telling CQC about deaths, serious injuries, abuse, absences and changes on time.
The notification rules catch many new managers out. See our statutory notifications guide and the fundamental standards.
Source: Regulated Activities Regulations 2014; CQC, what is registration? (1 July 2025).
Personal accountability
CQC can offer these instead of prosecuting.
| Offence | Registered manager | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| An offence under regulation 22 (for example a harm-based breach of Regulation 12) | £2,000 | £4,000 |
| Breaching a condition of registration, such as running without a registered manager | £2,000 | £4,000 |
| Registration Regulations 2009: statement of purpose and statutory notifications | £625 | £1,250 |
February 2024
Former registered manager, Warwickshire care home
Pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and to safeguard a resident. Ordered to pay £10,000 in fine, costs and surcharge.
Read CQC's press releaseJune 2023
Registered manager, Lancashire care home
Fined £2,000 with £5,000 costs, alongside a £120,000 fine for the provider, after failures to provide safe care.
Read CQC's press releaseApril 2023
Owner and registered manager, Lancashire nursing home
Pleaded guilty to two Regulation 12 offences after two residents died. Ordered to pay £55,181 in total.
Read CQC's press releaseSource: Regulation 22; Regulation 2 (registered person); CQC, offences; CQC enforcement policy (fixed penalty amounts).
Two roles
| Registered manager | Nominated individual | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Regulation 7 | Regulation 6 |
| Registered with CQC? | Yes, in their own right | No. The provider tells CQC who it is |
| Who needs one | Organisations, partnerships, and individuals not in day-to-day charge | Organisations other than partnerships |
| Focus | Managing the regulated activity day to day | Supervising how the activity is managed |
| Seniority | The service's manager | A director, manager or secretary of the organisation |
| Checks | CQC countersigned enhanced DBS, CQC assessment and interview | The provider must make sure they are fit, including the Schedule 3 checks |
| Personal liability | A registered person who can face fixed penalties and prosecution | No statutory responsibilities beyond any other employee's |
Yes, in a very small organisation. CQC says it may be necessary, but should be avoided where possible, because no one can supervise themselves. If you hold both roles, expect to be tested on each one, and show how you will get independent oversight.
More on the second role in our nominated individual requirements guide and nominated individual vs registered manager.
Source: Regulation 6; CQC, what is registration?; GOV.UK, nominated individual role category (16 July 2026).
Changes and absences
Absence of 28 days or more
At least 28 days before a planned absence, or within 5 working days in an emergency. Say who will manage and, for a manager, the plan to appoint a replacement. Report the return within 7 working days.
The manager leaves
The provider tells CQC as soon as reasonably practicable. The departing manager applies to cancel their own registration and confirms by email within 30 days. The new manager then applies.
Acting managers
An acting manager keeps the service running but is not registered. CQC sets no fixed grace period, so start the new manager's application, and their DBS check, straight away.
Only for as long as it takes to notify CQC and register a replacement. Failing without reasonable excuse to comply with a registration condition is an offence under section 33 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. CQC prosecuted the owners of two Enfield care homes in 2015 for running without registered managers since 2010: £22,500 in fines plus £8,600 costs. An Epsom care home paid a £4,000 fixed penalty after about 14 months without one.
Source: Registration Regulations, regulation 14; regulation 15; CQC, cancel a manager's registration; Health and Social Care Act 2008, section 33; CQC press release, 11 June 2015.
The 2026 picture
Care worker turnover was 28.3% where the registered manager had been in post for less than a year, against 20.6% where they had been in post for 20 years or more.
Pay depends on the size and type of service, the region and the manager's experience. Skills for Care publishes registered manager pay for England on its registered managers data page, updated 14 October 2026. We do not quote salary bands we cannot source.
Source: Skills for Care, The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2026 (14 October 2026).
Case studies
Registered manager and nominated individual
One founder in Staffordshire acting as both registered manager and nominated individual. Business plan, statement of purpose, policies and interview coaching, then a first time pass.
Fit person interview
Five days before her fit person interview, around a full-time job. We built evening one to one coaching on her own statement of purpose, policies and business plan, with mock interviews. She passed.
CQC registration
Came to us with a rejected application that someone else had prepared. We rebuilt the pack from the business up, then prepared them for interview. Now CQC registered.
CQC registration
Applied to CQC three times on their own and each application came back. We rebuilt the pack so every document agreed and coached both the RM and NI. Now CQC registered.
CQC registration
We built their full application pack and prepared their registered manager and nominated individual for the fit person interview. Registered first time.
Your interview next
We build mock interviews around your own documents, so nothing on the day is new.
Six short videos from our team on the two leadership roles, the evidence CQC asks for, multiple locations and preparing for the fit person interview.
The day-to-day role of the registered manager against the governance role of the nominated individual, and how CQC's questions differ for each.
A plan for the fit person interview: the regulations to know, the documents to have ready and sample questions with model answers.
What Regulation 7 asks for, why the evidence CQC requests can vary, and the training records to have ready before you apply.
When one registered manager can cover more than one location, and the evidence CQC expects before it agrees.
The mistakes that most often weaken a registered manager's interview, and what to do instead.
A practice drill on notifications: deciding which incidents must be reported to CQC and which are handled internally.
We check your manager application and evidence before it goes to CQC, prepare you for the fit person interview with mock interviews built on your own documents, and help providers choose and register the right manager. 94% of the applications we support are approved first time, across more than 1,200 providers in 10 years.
CQC asks applicants to complete their applications themselves, so we prepare and check them alongside you.
Book ConsultationEvery rule and figure in this guide comes from these pages, checked on 18 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
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