CQC Regulated Activities: The Complete Guide to All 14 Regulated Activities
If you are starting a care service or expanding your provision, one of the most critical decisions you will make is determining which CQC regulated activities your service will provide. This decision affects your registration requirements, your compliance obligations, your staffing standards, and ultimately your regulatory rating. Getting it right matters; getting it wrong can result in enforcement action.
This guide explains all 14 regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, shows which activities apply to different care models, and explains how to register for the right activities for your service.
What Is a CQC Regulated Activity?
A CQC regulated activity is a specific type of care or support that is defined under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. These are activities that, because of their nature or the vulnerability of the people receiving them, require formal CQC registration and ongoing regulatory oversight.
The purpose of regulating these activities is to protect people using services. Providers offering regulated activities must meet fundamental standards of quality and safety, and they must be inspected regularly by the CQC to ensure they continue to meet these standards.
Criminal Offence Warning
Providers that do not register for a regulated activity when they are providing one commit a criminal offence and face prosecution, fines, and potential imprisonment. This is not a matter of regulatory guidance; it is a legal requirement.
How Many Regulated Activities Are There?
There are 14 regulated activities in total, defined under Schedule 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Not all of these activities will apply to every care service. For example, a domiciliary care agency may provide personal care (a regulated activity) but not surgical procedures. A supported living provider may provide both personal care and nursing care.
All 14 Regulated Activities Explained
Filter by service type to see which activities are most relevant to your care model
Personal Care
Personal care is one of the most common regulated activities. It includes help with toileting, washing, dressing, eating and drinking, and other intimate personal care tasks. If your domiciliary care service provides any of these services, you are providing a regulated activity and must register. Personal care requires staff training in person-centred care, safeguarding, and health and safety.
Accommodation for Persons Who Require Nursing or Personal Care
This regulated activity covers residential provision where people receive either nursing care or personal care (or both) as part of their accommodation. This includes care homes, residential services, and supported living arrangements where care is provided. If you are providing accommodation together with nursing or personal care, you must register for this activity.
Accommodation for Persons Who Require Treatment for Substance Misuse
This regulated activity applies to services providing accommodation to people with substance misuse issues. This includes residential rehabilitation services, recovery communities, and supported housing where substance misuse treatment is part of the service. Providers must have robust systems for safeguarding, risk assessment, and multidisciplinary working.
Accommodation and Nursing or Personal Care in the Further Education Sector
This is a specialist regulated activity that applies to further education institutions providing residential accommodation where they also provide nursing or personal care to students with support needs. Colleges and universities that provide care or support to resident students must register for this activity if they go beyond general institutional support.
Surgical Procedures
This regulated activity covers invasive procedures that involve cutting, removing, altering, or destroying tissue. This includes surgical operations performed in hospitals, independent clinics, and surgical centres. Providers must have clinical governance systems, qualified surgical staff, and appropriate facilities for pre- and post-operative care.
Diagnostic and Screening Procedures
This regulated activity covers investigations and tests carried out to detect or diagnose a condition. This includes imaging services, laboratory services, and clinical screening programmes. Providers must ensure that diagnostic processes are safe, accurate, and appropriately governed.
Management of Supply of Blood and Blood Derived Products
This is a specialist activity covering services that manage the supply and provision of blood and blood products for clinical use. This includes blood transfusion services and specialist haematology services.
Maternity and Midwifery Services
This regulated activity covers care for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. This includes midwife-led units, maternity hospitals, and independent midwifery services. Providers must ensure safe staffing ratios, robust clinical governance, and access to emergency facilities.
Termination of Pregnancies
This regulated activity applies to providers that carry out medical or surgical termination of pregnancies. There are strict legal requirements surrounding this activity, including compliance with the Abortion Act 1967.
Nursing Care
Nursing care is the provision of clinical nursing services by registered nurses. This regulated activity applies when nursing staff provide clinical care as part of the service. It is relevant to nursing homes, community nursing services, and any service where registered nurses deliver clinical interventions.
Family Planning
This regulated activity covers services that provide contraceptive advice and services, including prescribing contraceptives and providing contraceptive procedures. This includes sexual health clinics and general practice services that provide contraceptive services.
Services in Slimming Clinics
This regulated activity applies to services that provide weight management support as part of clinical treatment. This is distinct from general weight loss support and applies where medical or clinical interventions are provided.
Triage, Medical Advice Remotely Given
This regulated activity applies to services that provide medical advice by telephone or digital means. This includes NHS 111, online GP services, and remote consultation platforms. Providers must ensure that remote triage processes are clinically safe and appropriately documented.
Transport Services, Triage and Medical Advice Provided Remotely
This regulated activity covers patient transport services with clinical elements, including ambulance services and patient transport services that provide triage or medical advice during transport. Providers must have appropriate clinical governance and staff training.
Which Regulated Activities Apply to Domiciliary Care?
For domiciliary care agencies (services that support people in their own homes or community), the primary regulated activity is personal care. If your domiciliary care agency provides help with toileting, washing, dressing, eating or drinking, medication support, or other intimate personal care, you must register for personal care.
Some domiciliary care agencies also provide nursing care if they employ registered nurses who deliver clinical interventions. If you provide both personal care and nursing care, you must register for both activities.
Other regulated activities such as treatment of disease or diagnostic procedures may occasionally be delivered by domiciliary care staff, but these are less common unless you have a specialist remit.
Other regulated activities such as treatment of disease or diagnostic procedures may occasionally be delivered by domiciliary care staff, but these are less common unless you have a specialist remit.
hello@caresyncexperts.co.ukWhich Regulated Activities Apply to Supported Living?
Supported living services provide support in the community, often to people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, or mental health needs. The regulated activities that apply depend on the nature of support provided.
If your supported living service provides personal care (toileting, washing, eating support), you must register for personal care. If you provide nursing care (delivered by registered nurses), you must register for nursing care. Some supported living services provide both.
Important Distinction:
If staff are providing intimate personal assistance, that is personal care and requires registration. If support is only with household tasks, money management, or emotional support (and not intimate personal care), this may not trigger registration for personal care, although you must still comply with other regulatory requirements.
Registering for the Right Activities: Why It Matters
Choosing the wrong regulated activities has serious consequences. If you register for fewer activities than you are actually providing, you are operating illegally. CQC can take enforcement action, and you may face prosecution and fines.
Before making your CQC registration application, you must carefully assess exactly which activities your service will deliver. This assessment should consider:
The nature of support provided
Personal care, nursing care, treatment, diagnosis, accommodation, or other
The service user group
Learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health, substance misuse, elderly care, or other
The setting
Home-based, residential, community, hospital, clinic, or other
The staffing
Who will deliver support, and what are their qualifications
The staffing
Who will deliver support, and what are their qualifications
CareSync Expert
Need more clarity?If you are uncertain about which activities apply, it is worth getting specialist advice from a CQC registration specialist. Getting this wrong can be costly and damaging.
How Care Sync Experts Can Help
If you need expert guidance on which regulated activities apply to your care service, or if you are preparing for CQC registration, contact Care Sync Experts today. Our team has helped hundreds of care services register for the right activities and prepare for CQC inspection.
CQC registration
Our team assesses your service and identifies which regulated activities apply to you, then guides you through the application process
Fundamental standards guidance
Once registered, we help you meet the fundamental standards applicable to your regulated activities
Domiciliary care contracts and commissioning:
Support understanding scope of regulated activities within contracts
How to start a care agency
Comprehensive guidance from identifying regulated activities through registration and beyond
Policy packs tailored to your regulated activities
Policies and procedures designed for the specific activities your service provides
Frequently asked questions
Still have questions?
Can't find the answer you're looking for? Please chat to our friendly team.
Not Sure Which Regulated Activities Apply to You?
Book a free consultation with Care Sync Experts. We will assess your service and give you a clear, accurate picture of your registration requirements before you apply.