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Knowledge hub · Inspection and ratings

How to Improve Your CQC Rating

How CQC really scores your service, which findings to fix first, a 90-day improvement plan, how to challenge a rating, when CQC will come back and what it takes to reach outstanding. With a rating calculator and a free action plan template. Checked against CQC on 20 October 2026.

Try the Rating CalculatorDownload the Action Plan
Score CQC gives each quality statement it assesses
1 to 4
Key question score needed for good, with no statement scored 1
63%
Adult social care services rated requires improvement under the current framework
26.4%
Working days to ask for a rating process review after publication
15

By the Care Sync Experts compliance team, who run mock inspections and improvement plans for home care, supported living and care home providers. Every rule and figure on this page was read on cqc.org.uk, legislation.gov.uk and gov.uk on .

How Do You Improve a CQC Rating?

To improve a CQC rating, link every finding in your report to the quality statement and regulation behind it, fix anything unsafe first, then repair the systems that let the problem happen: governance, audits, care plans, medicines, staffing and supervision. Then prove the change has lasted with re-audits, feedback from people and staff, and records that show impact, so the evidence is there whenever CQC returns.

Start with the statements that limit you. One quality statement scored 1 caps a key question at requires improvement however well the rest scores, and well-led and safe are the key questions most often rated below good in adult social care.

The rating only changes when CQC assesses you again, and in 2026 it does not give dates. So the aim is not a burst of paperwork before a visit, but a service that can show, on any day, how it knows it is safe and how it keeps getting better. See our 90-day plan.

This guide is written for adult social care providers in England, especially home care, supported living and care homes. It is general information, not legal advice.

At a Glance: CQC Ratings in October 2026

The Four RatingsOutstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, for each of the five key questions and overall
How You Are ScoredEach quality statement CQC assesses gets 1 to 4. Key question scores of 63% make good, 88% outstanding
The LimitersOne statement scored 1 caps a key question at requires improvement. A 1 or 2 stops outstanding
Where Ratings Are LostWell-led and safe: 36.7% and 30.3% of services rated under the current framework fell below good
Challenging a RatingFactual accuracy within 10 working days of the draft. Rating process review within 15 working days of publication, on process grounds only
When CQC ReturnsNo set date. CQC assesses by risk and rating age. There is no formal way to request a re-inspection
Displaying ItOn your website and premises within 21 calendar days of publication, even during a review
What Is ChangingNew frameworks without scores are planned. No start date yet, so the current rules still apply

Source: CQC, how we reach a rating; State of Care 2024/25 charts; CQC, rating process review; CQC, displaying ratings.

Know where you stand

What the Four CQC Ratings Mean

CQC rates each of its five key questions, safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, and adult social care services also get an overall rating. These are CQC's own words for each rating, with the share of adult social care services that received it under the current framework.

Outstanding

“The service is performing exceptionally well.”

2.1%

of adult social care services rated

Good

“The service is performing well and meeting our expectations.”

67.4%

of adult social care services rated

Requires improvement

“The service is not performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve.”

26.4%

of adult social care services rated

Inadequate

“The service is performing badly and we've taken action against the person or organisation that runs it.”

4.1%

of adult social care services rated

Ratings by Type of Service

Home care and supported living fared slightly better than care homes. CQC warns that these assessments were chosen by risk, so they are not representative of every service, and they are not comparable with earlier years.

Adult social care overall ratings under the single assessment framework, by service type

  • All adult social care3,062 rated

    Outstanding
    2.1%
    Good
    67.4%
    Requires improvement
    26.4%
    Inadequate
    4.1%

  • Care homes1,995 rated

    Outstanding
    1.7%
    Good
    64.9%
    Requires improvement
    29.1%
    Inadequate
    4.4%

  • Homecare916 rated

    Outstanding
    3.0%
    Good
    72.3%
    Requires improvement
    21.3%
    Inadequate
    3.5%

  • Supported living147 rated

    Outstanding
    3.4%
    Good
    70.1%
    Requires improvement
    23.1%
    Inadequate
    3.4%

Source: CQC, our ratings and scores (updated 8 January 2026); CQC State of Care 2024/25, overall ratings under the single assessment framework at 1 August 2025. State of Care 2025/26 is due this autumn.

Older ratings still count

CQC says 20,467 adult social care services still had current ratings from its previous frameworks in 2025. Many were last rated years ago, so a rating can describe a service that has since changed, for better or worse.

Combined services

CQC says “a care home that also provides homecare in the community will not be given an overall rating”. Each service is rated separately, so each needs its own evidence.

The rules CQC uses today

How CQC Calculates Your Rating

Under the single assessment framework, CQC scores the quality statements it assesses, turns those scores into a percentage for each key question, then combines the five key question ratings into your overall rating. Since 2 December 2024 it scores at quality statement level only; reports no longer show scores for each evidence category.

Score each statement

  • 4“Evidence shows an exceptional standard”
  • 3“Evidence shows a good standard”
  • 2“Evidence shows some shortfalls”
  • 1“Evidence shows significant shortfalls”

Work out the percentage

CQC adds the scores for a key question and divides by the maximum possible: the number of statements multiplied by 4. Safe has 8 statements, so the maximum is 32. A total of 24 is 75%.

CQC does not assess every statement each time. It keeps the earlier scores for statements it did not look at. The Dash review found adult social care assessments used 11.6 of the 34 statements on average.

Combine into the overall rating

The five key questions carry equal weight. CQC applies its rating principles, which it says apply “normally”: inspectors can depart from them, particularly where ratings range from inadequate to outstanding, and must explain why in the report.

A new service is not rated on a key question until CQC has assessed every statement in it, usually within 12 months of registration.

Key Question Rating Bands and Limiters

CQC key question score bands and limiters
ScoreRatingCondition
88% and aboveOutstandingOnly if no statement in the key question scored 1 or 2
63 to 87%GoodOnly if no statement in the key question scored 1
39 to 62%Requires improvementAlso where a good score is limited by a statement scored 1
25 to 38%InadequateThe lowest possible score is 25%, every statement scored 1

How the Overall Rating Is Normally Reached

CQC rating principles for the overall rating in adult social care
Overall RatingNormally When
OutstandingAt least 2 key questions outstanding and the rest good
GoodNo key question inadequate and no more than 1 requires improvement
Requires improvement2 or more key questions requires improvement
Inadequate2 or more key questions inadequate

Your overall rating does not simply follow your lowest area. One requires improvement key question can sit inside a good overall rating; two cannot.

Worked Examples: Which Statement to Fix First

These use CQC's own maths. They show why reading your report statement by statement matters more than chasing a general sense of “doing better”.

Safe, 8 statements

One weak statement costs the whole key question

Before

Seven statements score 3, medicines optimisation scores 1. Total 22 of 32 = 68.8%, in the good range, but the 1 limits safe to requires improvement.

After

Fix medicines to a 3 and nothing else. Total 24 of 32 = 75%. Safe is good.

Find any statement at 1 and fix it before anything else. It overrides every other score.

Well-led, 7 statements assessed in adult social care

Several 2s pull you under the line

Before

Two statements score 3 and five score 2. Total 16 of 28 = 57.1%. Well-led is requires improvement, with no 1 anywhere.

After

Lift two of the 2s to 3s, for example governance and learning, improvement and innovation. Total 18 of 28 = 64.3%. Well-led is good.

Where nothing scores 1, count the 2s. A few targeted improvements can cross 63%.

Caring, 5 statements

Outstanding needs every statement at 3 or more

Before

Four statements score 4 and workforce wellbeing scores 2. Total 18 of 20 = 90%, in the outstanding range, but the 2 limits caring to good.

After

Bring workforce wellbeing to a 3. Total 19 of 20 = 95%. Caring is outstanding.

For outstanding, your weakest statement matters more than your best ones.

Source: CQC, how we reach a rating (updated 13 May 2025); CQC, levels of ratings (19 June 2025); CQC, update to our scoring approach; Dash review (October 2024). Worked examples are ours.

Free tool

CQC Rating Calculator

Score each quality statement the way you honestly think CQC would, using your last report and your own audits. The calculator applies CQC's bands, limiters and rating principles and shows where your rating is being held back. Nothing you enter leaves your browser. Use it to plan, not to predict: see the notes underneath.

Estimated overall rating

GoodNo key question is inadequate and no more than one is requires improvement.
Safe75%Good
  • Learning culture
  • Safe systems, pathways and transitions
  • Safeguarding
  • Involving people to manage risks
  • Safe environments
  • Safe and effective staffing
  • Infection prevention and control
  • Medicines optimisation
Effective75%Good
  • Assessing needs
  • Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
  • How staff, teams and services work together
  • Supporting people to live healthier lives
  • Monitoring and improving outcomes
  • Consent to care and treatment
Caring75%Good
  • Kindness, compassion and dignity
  • Treating people as individuals
  • Independence, choice and control
  • Responding to people's immediate needs
  • Workforce wellbeing and enablement
Responsive75%Good
  • Person-centred care
  • Care provision, integration and continuity
  • Providing information
  • Listening to and involving people
  • Equity in access
  • Equity in experiences and outcomes
  • Planning for the future
Well-led75%Good
  • Shared direction and culture
  • Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
  • Freedom to speak up
  • Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Governance, management and sustainability
  • Partnerships and communities
  • Learning, improvement and innovation

1 = significant shortfalls, 2 = some shortfalls, 3 = good standard, 4 = exceptional. An estimate using CQC's published rules. CQC assesses some statements at a time, keeps earlier scores for the rest, and can depart from its rating principles where it explains why. CQC does not score environmental sustainability outside NHS trusts, so well-led is out of 7 statements here.

Not sure how to score yourself? Our mock inspections score every statement the way an inspector would, with the evidence behind each score, and see the 34 quality statements explained.

Requires improvement or inadequate?

What Happens After Your CQC Report

The deadlines start the day the draft report arrives, and two of them are short. Put these dates in the diary straight away, then start your improvement plan in parallel: CQC will judge what it finds next time, not what you argue about this time.

  1. 10 working days from the email

    Draft report and factual accuracy check

    CQC emails the draft report. Check every sentence, correct errors, add evidence CQC missed and challenge information that fed a judgement. Evidence must show the position at the time of the assessment. CQC will not extend the deadline unless circumstances are exceptional.

  2. After factual accuracy

    Report and rating published

    The final report and rating appear on CQC's website. Commissioners, families and staff will read it, so be ready to explain what you are doing about it.

  3. Within 21 calendar days

    Display the new rating

    Show the rating and its date on a sign at each premises you provide care from, usually your office for home care, and on your website with a link to the report. You must do this even if you have asked for a rating review.

  4. Within 15 working days of publication

    Rating process review, if CQC broke its process

    One request per assessment, up to 500 words, through CQC's online form. CQC aims to decide within 50 working days and the rating stays published meanwhile.

  5. Within 28 days of the request

    Send your action plan, if CQC asks

    Where CQC finds a breach but no immediate risk, it now sends an Action Plan request (previously called a requirement notice). Under Regulation 17(3) your report must reach CQC no later than 28 days after you receive the request, and failing to send it is an offence.

  6. By the date in the notice

    Meet any warning notice deadline

    A warning notice sets a date by which improvement must be made. CQC aims to follow up within 3 months of that date, and further enforcement can follow if you have not complied.

Displaying your rating

Regulation 20A requires your most recent rating, with its date, on at least one legible sign at each premises you provide regulated activities from and at your principal place of business, and on your website with CQC's web address. For home care and supported living this usually means your office, not people's own homes. Not displaying it is an offence, with a fine of up to level 2 (£500) on conviction, and CQC can prosecute without a warning notice first.

Source: CQC, factual accuracy check (29 October 2025); CQC, rating process review (16 October 2026); CQC, how providers must display ratings; CQC enforcement policy (25 June 2026); Regulation 17, 20A and 23.

Disagree with your rating?

Can You Challenge a CQC Rating?

Yes, but the routes are narrow, and you cannot appeal a rating to a tribunal. Most successful challenges happen at the factual accuracy stage, before the rating is published. After that, a rating process review only looks at whether CQC followed its own process, and CQC says “all scores and ratings can go down as well as up”.

Routes for challenging a CQC report or rating
RouteWhenDeadlineGroundsWhat Can Change
Factual accuracy checkOn the draft report10 working days from the emailTyping or number errors, factually wrong information behind a judgement, evidence CQC left outText, scores and ratings can change before publication
Rating process reviewAfter publication15 working days, one request, 500 wordsOnly that CQC failed to follow its process for making rating decisionsRatings can go down as well as up. A CQC deputy director decides. It is CQC's final process
Complaint about CQCAny timeWithin a yearHow CQC staff behaved or how the assessment was carried outCannot change evidence, ratings or regulatory decisions. Escalate to the Ombudsman through your MP
Tribunal appealEnforcement only28 days from a Notice of DecisionConditions, suspension or cancellation of registrationThere is no tribunal appeal against a rating, a warning notice or a penalty notice

Our advice

Making factual accuracy count

Quote the exact sentence, say why it is wrong and attach the record that proves it, dated before or during the assessment. Point out evidence of good or outstanding practice CQC did not mention. Improvements made since the assessment will not change the rating, except in exceptional circumstances, so list them in your action plan instead.

Our advice

When a rating review is worth it

Only where you can point to a process failure. CQC says the review checks that scores and ratings were checked before publication, that you had the chance to check factual accuracy, and that your challenges were properly considered. If your case is really that the inspector was wrong about the evidence, that belonged in factual accuracy.

An older CQC page on rating reviews, last updated 16 March 2026, is still online and does not mention the deputy director decision or the 50 working day aim. Use the rating process review page CQC rewrote on 16 October 2026. It says the request can come from the registered manager or nominated individual, or for council-run services the chief executive or named liaison person.

Source: CQC, rating process review; CQC, factual accuracy check; CQC, representations and appeals; CQC, complain about CQC (1 October 2026).

Where ratings are lost

What to Fix First

In adult social care, ratings are mostly lost in well-led and safe. Of services rated under the current framework, 36.7% fell below good for well-led and 30.3% for safe, against 11.7 to 18.3% for the other three key questions. If your report has findings in either, start there.

Adult social care key question ratings under the single assessment framework, most often below good first

  • Well-led

    36.7% below good

    Outstanding
    2.1%
    Good
    61.3%
    Requires improvement
    31.1%
    Inadequate
    5.6%

  • Safe

    30.3% below good

    Outstanding
    0.3%
    Good
    69.4%
    Requires improvement
    25.5%
    Inadequate
    4.8%

  • Effective

    18.3% below good

    Outstanding
    0.9%
    Good
    80.8%
    Requires improvement
    16.1%
    Inadequate
    2.2%

  • Responsive

    12.7% below good

    Outstanding
    1.6%
    Good
    85.7%
    Requires improvement
    11.4%
    Inadequate
    1.3%

  • Caring

    11.7% below good

    Outstanding
    3.5%
    Good
    84.8%
    Requires improvement
    10.4%
    Inadequate
    1.3%

Source: CQC State of Care 2024/25, key question ratings under the single assessment framework at 1 August 2025.

Anything scored 1

A single statement at 1 limits its key question to requires improvement. Fix these first, whatever the key question.

Safe and well-led

The Dash review found safe was looked at in 90% of early adult social care assessments under the current framework, and well-led judges whether your systems keep everything else right.

Clusters of 2s

Several statements at 2 in one key question pull the score under 63%. Target the two or three you can move most.

Our advice

A 90-Day Plan to Improve Your CQC Rating

This is the sequence we use with providers after a requires improvement or inadequate report. It is our approach, not a CQC requirement, but it follows what CQC tests: whether you know your risks, act on them and can show the improvement has lasted. Regulation 17 requires you to assess, monitor and improve quality and safety, and to act on feedback, all the time, not just after a report.

Days 1 to 14

Make people safe and understand the report

  • Act today on anything that puts someone at risk: medicines, safeguarding, missed calls, unsafe staffing
  • Read the report line by line and list every finding, good and bad
  • Link each finding to its key question, quality statement and regulation
  • Work out the likely score for each statement and spot any 1s
  • Find the root cause of each finding: ask why five times, not who
  • Tell staff, people and families what the report says and what happens next

Days 15 to 45

Fix the systems, not just the symptoms

  • Write one improvement plan with an owner, a deadline and a definition of done for each action
  • Repair the governance loop: audit, theme, action, owner, re-audit
  • Rewrite care plans and risk assessments with the person, not for them
  • Close training and supervision gaps and check competence, not attendance
  • Set up a weekly review of the plan with the registered manager and nominated individual

Days 46 to 90

Embed the change and evidence the impact

  • Re-audit every area you changed and record what improved
  • Collect feedback from people, families, staff and partners, and show what you did with it
  • Test the service with a mock inspection against every quality statement
  • Keep a short evidence pack for each key question that anyone on duty can find
  • Carry on: the plan stays live until CQC returns, and after

What a Good Action Plan Looks Like

Each line links a finding to the standard it breaks, names the root cause, and says how you will know it is fixed. These rows are examples from home care; the free template below has the full layout.

Example rows from a CQC improvement action plan
FindingStatement and RegulationRoot CauseActionOwner and DateDone When
Medicine records had gaps and no PRN guidanceSafe: medicines optimisation. Regulation 12No weekly MAR audit; new staff not competency checkedWeekly MAR audit, PRN protocols for every as-needed medicine, competency checks for all staff who give medicinesRegistered manager, by week 4Four clean weekly audits in a row; 100% of staff assessed
Care plans were generic and not reviewedResponsive: person-centred care. Regulation 9Reviews done in the office without the personReview every plan with the person and family; record what matters to them and how they like supportCare coordinator, by week 8All plans reviewed with the person; spot checks show staff know them
Audits found problems but nothing changedWell-led: governance, management and sustainability. Regulation 17Actions had no owner or date; no re-auditOne improvement plan reviewed weekly; every action has an owner, a date and a re-auditNominated individual, from week 2Plan shows closed actions with re-audit results

Source: Regulation 17, good governance. The plan and example rows are our advice. For each regulation in full, see our fundamental standards guide.

Key question by key question

How to Improve Each CQC Key Question

For each key question: the quality statements CQC scores, how often adult social care services fell below good, what we most often see pulling ratings down, and the evidence that shows an inspector the problem is fixed. The first two are CQC's; the advice is ours. For the full wording of every statement, see the 34 quality statements explained.

Safe

30.3% of services below good

Quality statements: Learning culture; safe systems, pathways and transitions; safeguarding; involving people to manage risks; safe environments; safe and effective staffing; infection prevention and control; medicines optimisation.

What to fix in safe

What pulls ratings down

  • Medicine records with gaps, no PRN protocols, or staff who cannot explain what a medicine is for
  • Incidents logged but not investigated, or the same thing happening again
  • Safeguarding concerns not raised with the local authority or notified to CQC
  • Rotas that rely on short notice cover, late or missed calls, recruitment checks missing

Evidence that works

  • Weekly medicines audits with actions closed and re-audited
  • An incident log that shows themes, learning shared in team meetings and changed practice
  • A safeguarding log that matches your notifications to CQC
  • Call monitoring data with late and missed calls explained, and complete recruitment files

Effective

18.3% of services below good

Quality statements: Assessing needs; delivering evidence-based care and treatment; how staff, teams and services work together; supporting people to live healthier lives; monitoring and improving outcomes; consent to care and treatment.

What to fix in effective

What pulls ratings down

  • Assessments copied between people or not updated when needs change
  • Mental Capacity Act assessments missing or generic, best interest decisions not recorded
  • No sign that outcomes are tracked, so nobody can say whether care is working

Evidence that works

  • Assessments that use recognised tools and are reviewed after every change
  • Decision-specific capacity assessments and consent recorded in the person's words
  • Outcomes tracked for each person, such as falls, weight, skin, hospital admissions and goals met

Caring

11.7% of services below good

Quality statements: Kindness, compassion and dignity; treating people as individuals; independence, choice and control; responding to people's immediate needs; workforce wellbeing and enablement.

What to fix in caring

What pulls ratings down

  • Rushed visits and staff who do not know the person they support
  • Care done to people rather than with them, and little choice about times or carers
  • Staff wellbeing ignored, which shows in turnover and in how people are treated

Evidence that works

  • Consistent carers, with rotas that show continuity
  • Feedback from people and families, in their own words, with what changed as a result
  • Supervision notes and wellbeing support that staff can describe

Responsive

12.7% of services below good

Quality statements: Person-centred care; care provision, integration and continuity; providing information; listening to and involving people; equity in access; equity in experiences and outcomes; planning for the future.

What to fix in responsive

What pulls ratings down

  • Care plans that say what tasks to do but not who the person is
  • Complaints handled one by one, with no themes or learning
  • No end of life wishes or advance care plans recorded

Evidence that works

  • Plans written with the person: history, preferences, communication needs and goals
  • A complaints and compliments log showing trends and changes made
  • Information in accessible formats and future wishes recorded and shared

Well-led

36.7% of services below good

Quality statements: Shared direction and culture; capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders; freedom to speak up; workforce equality, diversity and inclusion; governance, management and sustainability; partnerships and communities; learning, improvement and innovation. (Environmental sustainability is assessed in NHS trusts only.)

What to fix in well-led

What pulls ratings down

  • Audits completed but nothing changes because of them
  • Leaders who cannot answer how they know the service is safe today
  • Late or missing statutory notifications, or a long gap without a registered manager
  • Staff who say they would not feel safe raising a concern

Evidence that works

  • One live improvement plan reviewed every week, linking audits, incidents, complaints and feedback
  • Governance minutes that show decisions, owners and follow up
  • A notifications log that matches your incident and safeguarding records
  • Staff surveys and speak up records with actions taken

Source: CQC, single assessment framework; CQC State of Care 2024/25. Advice on what pulls ratings down and what evidence works is ours.

Not sure the statutory notifications side is right? Our CQC statutory notifications guide lists all of them with deadlines.

When will CQC come back?

Getting Re-rated: When CQC Will Reassess You

This is the hardest part for most providers. There is no formal way to ask CQC to re-inspect you after you have improved, and CQC says “we cannot specify when we will assess an individual service”. How often you are assessed depends on the information CQC receives and the evidence it collects.

CQC, May 2026

Who CQC is assessing first in adult social care

  1. Services with urgent, emerging risks
  2. Services not assessed since registration that CQC's data identifies as very high risk
  3. Services registered for over a year that have not yet been assessed
  4. Services with a rating over 6 years old

Returning to good

A lighter assessment, started in 2026, for services rated good overall and in all five key questions, with a rating at least six or seven years old, a registered manager, no ongoing enforcement and no sign the rating has changed, among other criteria. It looks at 18 quality statements and switches to CQC's usual approach if CQC finds concerns or outstanding practice when planning. Home care and supported living are included.

How long the wait has been

The Dash review found the time CQC took to re-inspect after requires improvement, across all sectors, rose from 142 days in 2015 to 360 days in 2024, and after inadequate from 87 to 136 days. It described providers “stuck in requires improvement”.

Many services have no recent rating

The Homecare Association's analysis of CQC data at 5 May 2026 found 83.5% of community social care services had no recent rating: 36.9% had never been assessed and 46.6% had a rating four or more years old. CQC says it had completed more than 9,600 assessments across all sectors by late August 2026, beating its target of 9,000.

Our advice while you wait

  • Keep your improvement plan live and dated, so it shows progress over months, not a rush before a visit
  • Send every statutory notification on time: they are part of the data CQC uses
  • Answer CQC information requests fully and promptly
  • Encourage people and families to give feedback on care through CQC's website
  • Share your report and plan with commissioners, who often ask what has changed
  • Run a mock inspection every six months so you know your scores before CQC does

Source: CQC, how often we assess; CQC, May 2026 update; CQC, returning to good (30 July 2026); CQC, August 2026 update; Dash review; Homecare Association, unseen and unrated (10 June 2026).

Rated inadequate?

Inadequate Ratings and Special Measures

An inadequate rating brings closer oversight and a firm timetable. CQC's special measures page for adult social care is marked as under review, but this is what it says now.

Inadequate overall

The service goes straight into special measures.

Inadequate in one key question

CQC inspects again within six months. If any key question is still inadequate, the service enters special measures.

In special measures

CQC re-inspects within six months to check improvement has been made.

Not enough progress

CQC begins proposing to cancel registration or to vary its terms, for example by imposing conditions.

Inadequate ratings often come with enforcement: warning notices, conditions on registration, or in serious cases urgent action. Get legal advice early, keep CQC informed of progress, and treat the six months as a hard deadline. For the full enforcement pathway, see our CQC enforcement guide.

Common question

Does Having No Registered Manager Lower Your Rating?

Not automatically, whatever many guides say. The automatic caps people quote, well-led no better than requires improvement without a registered manager or with missing notifications, and no overall rating above requires improvement with any breach, come from CQC's 2020 rating principles for the old framework. They are not in CQC's current scoring guidance.

It still matters a great deal. Leadership is scored in well-led, a service without a registered manager cannot use Returning to good, and CQC's draft 2026 framework describes “no registered manager in place, despite this being a requirement for the service” with limited action to recruit as a requires improvement characteristic. Recruit quickly and record every step you take.

Source: CQC, special measures in adult social care; CQC, warning notices; CQC adult social care rating principles (2020, now withdrawn); Draft adult social care framework (March 2026).

Good to outstanding

How to Get an Outstanding CQC Rating

Only about 2% of adult social care services rated under the current framework reached outstanding overall. The rules explain why: you normally need at least two key questions rated outstanding and the rest good, and each outstanding key question needs 88% or more with no statement scored below 3.

Pick your two

Choose the two key questions where you already have the strongest evidence. Nationally, caring (3.5%) and well-led (2.1%) had the highest outstanding rates.

Lift every statement to 3

In those two, no statement can score 1 or 2. Fix the weakest before polishing the best.

Turn 3s into 4s

A 4 needs evidence of an exceptional standard: outcomes, people's own accounts and practice others learn from.

For a key question with 5 statements, 88% means at least 18 of 20: for example three 4s and two 3s scores 18. For safe, with 8 statements, aim for at least 29 of 32: 28 of 32 is 87.5%, which falls between CQC's published bands, so do not rely on it.

CQC research, April 2026

What Makes Care Outstanding

Research by The King's Fund for CQC, with providers, inspectors and people with lived experience, set out five draft principles of outstanding care, intended to apply across all sectors.

  1. Truly person-centred care

    Care tailored to each person, with a strong focus on their needs and wishes and real involvement in decisions.

  2. Compassionate and inclusive leadership

    Leadership that is flexible, collaborative and shared, rather than purely top down.

  3. Equity and inclusion

    Everyone treated fairly and included, people using the service and staff alike.

  4. Learning and innovation in practice

    Continuous reflection and improvement using data and feedback. Innovation that is ongoing, not one clever feature.

  5. A purposeful approach

    A clear focus on making a positive difference to people's lives.

Skills for Care, October 2026

What Higher Rated Services Look Like

Skills for Care compared about 7,100 independent services by their CQC ratings. The highest rated group had more staff, more training and longer serving managers. These are associations, not proof of cause.

Workforce measures in the lowest and highest CQC rated groups
MeasureLowest RatedHighest Rated
Care Certificate begun or completed72%82%
Median staff per bed (care homes)1.261.50
Registered manager years in the role8.69.9
Vacancy rate5.5%4.5%

Groups use key question ratings given since March 2021. Vacancy rates cover the 1,100 services rated in the last two years. Data at March 2026.

Care homes and home care providers that complete the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) can compare pay, vacancies and turnover with good and outstanding services in their area, from the Benchmarks tab.

Our advice

The evidence that separates outstanding from good

  • Stories of what changed in a person's life, told in their words and backed by records
  • Outcomes measured over time, not just tasks completed
  • Ideas from staff and people that were tried, tested and kept
  • Partners such as GPs, social workers and commissioners who will describe your work unprompted
  • Learning shared beyond your service, for example with your local care association
  • Consistency: every carer, every visit, not one star team

Source: CQC, levels of ratings; CQC, what makes care outstanding? (14 April 2026); Skills for Care, state of the sector 2026, section 9.2; Skills for Care, ASC-WDS benchmarking.

Now and next

CQC Rating Changes in 2026: What Applies Now

CQC plans to replace quality statements and scoring with sector-specific frameworks. Feedback closed on 12 June 2026, pilots ran from June to October 2026 with no effect on ratings, and CQC planned its final evaluation for November 2026.

In May 2026 CQC said it planned to bring in the new approach later this year, but its August 2026 update gave no date and none has been announced since. CQC told providers to “continue to refer to the current published guidance” until the new approach is in place.

The current CQC assessment approach compared with the planned 2026 frameworks
 Now: Single Assessment FrameworkNext: Draft Sector Frameworks
What CQC assesses34 quality statements24 key lines of enquiry in the draft adult social care framework
How judgements are madeEach statement scored 1 to 4, turned into percentagesNo scores. Rating characteristics describe each rating
Where ratings are givenKey question ratings built up from statement scoresRatings given directly at key question level
What stays the sameFive key questions, four ratings, Regulations 9 to 20AFive key questions, four ratings, Regulations 9 to 20A
StatusIn use nowPiloted June to October 2026. No start date confirmed

Draft adult social care framework

Key lines of enquiry by key question

7
Safe
4
Effective
3
Caring
4
Responsive
6
Well-led

Most are merged or renamed versions of today's quality statements, and each has rating characteristics for outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.

Our advice

Improve in a way that counts under both

  • Fix what your report found: the regulations behind both frameworks are the same
  • Build evidence of impact, not folders: rating characteristics describe what people experience
  • Strengthen governance and leadership now: well-led judgements carry across
  • Keep a registered manager in post and notifications on time: the draft names both
  • Read the draft characteristics for your key questions and check yourself against good

Care England welcomed sector-specific frameworks but called the removal of scoring “a concern”, saying ratings may become harder to compare. Whatever the final shape, the providers who improve fastest will be those whose evidence already shows what good looks like for the people they support.

Source: CQC, initial consultation response (25 March 2026); CQC, draft sector frameworks; May 2026 update; June 2026 update; August 2026 update; Care England response.

Free download, no sign up

CQC Improvement Action Plan Template (PDF)

The 90-day plan from this guide as a printable checklist, plus a blank action plan with columns for the finding, quality statement and regulation, root cause, action, owner, deadline and how you will know it is done. Use it after a report or before your next assessment.

  • Two A4 pages, prints in colour or black and white
  • Built on CQC's current scoring rules, checked 20 October 2026
  • Free to print, copy and share in your service
Download the Action Plan (PDF)

Myth or fact

Six Myths About CQC Ratings

Myth

  • No registered manager means an automatic requires improvement.

Fact

That cap was in CQC's 2020 rating principles for the old framework. It is not in the current scoring guidance, though leadership is still judged in well-led.

Myth

  • Your overall rating is your lowest key question.

Fact

One requires improvement key question can sit inside a good overall rating. It normally takes two to make the overall rating requires improvement.

Myth

  • You can appeal a rating to the tribunal.

Fact

The tribunal only hears enforcement appeals. Ratings go through the factual accuracy check or a rating process review, which is CQC policy.

Myth

  • A rating review looks at the evidence again.

Fact

Its only ground is that CQC did not follow its process. Disagreeing with the judgement does not count, and ratings can go down.

Myth

  • Tell CQC you have improved and it will re-inspect.

Fact

CQC cannot say when it will assess a service. It prioritises by risk and by how old the rating is.

Myth

  • Scoring has already been scrapped.

Fact

Not yet. Scores still decide ratings until the new frameworks start, and no start date has been set.

Watch

Turn Audits Into Evidence CQC Credits

Why audits that change nothing cost ratings, and the improvement loop that fixes it. From our team.
  • Regulation 17: assess, monitor and improve
  • The six-step improvement loop
  • One service improvement plan for everything

How Care Sync Experts Can Help

We score your service against every quality statement the way an inspector would, write the improvement plan with you, and help your team put it into practice, so the evidence is ready whenever CQC returns.

Book Consultation

Related Guides

Sources

Every CQC rule, legal requirement, official figure and date in this guide comes from these pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Where we give our own advice, such as the 90-day plan, the action plan examples, the worked examples and the key question advice, we say so. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read your report line by line and link every finding to a quality statement and a regulation. Fix anything unsafe first, then the systems behind the problem: governance, audits, care plans, medicines, staffing and supervision. Then prove the change has lasted, through re-audits, feedback from people and staff, and records that show impact. Safe and well-led are the key questions most often rated below good in adult social care, so start there.
CQC scores each quality statement it assesses from 1 to 4: 1 means significant shortfalls, 2 some shortfalls, 3 a good standard and 4 an exceptional standard. It adds the scores for a key question and divides by the maximum possible. 25 to 38% is inadequate, 39 to 62% requires improvement, 63 to 87% good and 88% or more outstanding. A score of 1 limits a good key question to requires improvement, and a 1 or 2 limits an outstanding one to good. The five key question ratings then combine into the overall rating.
63% or more for a key question to be rated good, with no quality statement scored 1. For outstanding the key question needs 88% or more and no statement scored 1 or 2. For a whole service to be good overall, normally no key question can be inadequate and no more than one can be requires improvement.
Normally at least two of the five key questions must be rated outstanding and the rest good. One requires improvement key question stops an overall outstanding rating. Nationally only about 2% of adult social care services assessed under the current framework were rated outstanding overall (CQC State of Care 2024/25).
In our experience the improvement work itself usually takes three to six months, but the rating only changes when CQC assesses you again, and CQC does not give dates. The Dash review found the wait for re-inspection after requires improvement, across all sectors, had grown to 360 days by 2024. Use the time to make improvements that last and that you can evidence on the day CQC returns.
There is no formal route to request a re-inspection. CQC says it cannot specify when it will assess an individual service. In 2026 it prioritises services with urgent risks, high-risk services never assessed, services registered over a year without an assessment and ratings over six years old. Services rated good in all five key questions with an old rating may be picked for its lighter Returning to good assessment.
Yes, in two ways. Before publication you have 10 working days from the draft report email to send factual accuracy comments, with evidence of the position at the time of the assessment. After publication you can ask for a rating process review within 15 working days, but only on the ground that CQC did not follow its process for making rating decisions. Disagreeing with the judgement or score is not a ground. There is no appeal to the tribunal about a rating.
The factual accuracy check happens on the draft report: you correct errors, add omitted evidence and challenge information that fed a judgement, within 10 working days. A rating process review happens after the rating is published: you have 15 working days, one request, up to 500 words, and the only ground is that CQC failed to follow its process. Ratings can go down as well as up after a review.
Yes. CQC's rating process review page, updated 16 October 2026, says all scores and ratings can go down as well as up as a result of a review. A deputy director in CQC Operations makes the final decision on the reviewer's recommendation, and CQC aims to finish within 50 working days.
You must display the rating within 21 calendar days of publication. Where CQC found a breach, it may send an Action Plan request (previously called a requirement notice) asking how you will put it right. Your report must reach CQC within 28 days, and failing to send it is an offence. Under the current approach CQC does not set a date for its next assessment, so your rating stays until it returns.
A service rated inadequate overall goes into special measures and CQC aims to re-inspect within six months. A service rated inadequate in one key question is re-inspected within six months, and enters special measures if any key question is still inadequate. CQC may also use enforcement such as warning notices, conditions, or proposals to cancel registration if improvement is not made.
Not automatically under the current framework. The old 2020 rating principles capped well-led at requires improvement when no registered manager was recruited within a reasonable time, but that rule does not appear in CQC's current scoring guidance. It still matters: leadership is judged in well-led, the draft 2026 framework links a missing registered manager to requires improvement or inadequate characteristics, and Returning to good is only open to services with one.
Yes. Regulation 20A requires your most recent rating, with its date, on a sign at each premises you provide care from (for home care, usually your office) and on your website. CQC says you must display it no later than 21 calendar days after publication, even if you have asked for a rating review. Failing to display it is an offence, with a fine of up to level 2 (£500) on conviction.
A lighter assessment, started in 2026, for adult social care services rated good overall and in all five key questions, with a rating at least six or seven years old, a registered manager in post, no ongoing enforcement and no sign the rating has changed, among other criteria. It looks at 18 quality statements. If CQC finds concerns or outstanding practice when planning, it moves to its usual approach.
Of 3,062 adult social care services rated under the single assessment framework by 1 August 2025, 2.1% were outstanding, 67.4% good, 26.4% requires improvement and 4.1% inadequate (CQC State of Care 2024/25). CQC warns these are risk-based assessments and not representative of all services. State of Care 2025/26 is due this autumn.
Yes, but not yet. CQC plans sector-specific frameworks with key lines of enquiry and rating characteristics instead of quality statements, no numerical scores, and ratings given directly for each key question. The draft adult social care framework has 24 key lines of enquiry. Pilots ran from June to October 2026, with evaluation in November 2026. CQC said in May 2026 it planned to start later this year, but no date has been confirmed, and CQC has told providers to keep using the current guidance until then.
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