Whatever your last report said, this is fixable
A clear route back to compliance for services rated Requires Improvement or Inadequate.
- Led by people who have been inspected
- Audit in around two weeks
- Confidential, no obligation
You know what needs to change. The hard part is doing it under this much pressure.
A rating changes the week for everyone. There's a plan owed to the CQC, commissioners waiting on assurance, and a registered manager carrying most of it on top of the day job.
It's fixable, and far easier with experienced people beside you.
Where are you in this?
- Owner or director
The rating is a business risk
Referrals, reputation and your registration. You need a credible plan and a clear timeline.
Talk it through - Registered manager
You're carrying most of it
The plan, the evidence, the staff and the day job. We take weight off, not add to it.
Get support - Group or multi-site
One service is affecting all of them
Consistent governance across sites, so a finding in one home doesn't become a pattern.
Discuss your group
Three steps, in the order that actually helps
A written audit report you can act on
- Findings by key questionAssessed against all five, cross-referenced to your inspection report.
- Records and practice reviewedCare plans, medicines, training files, governance, and what we observed on site.
- Nothing dressed upPlain findings, including the ones nobody has wanted to write down yet.
- Around two weeksScope and timescale agreed with you before we start.
Every audit covers the five key questions
The same framework an inspector uses- Safe
Medicines, risk, safeguarding and staffing.
- Effective
Training, consent, capacity and nutrition.
- Caring
Dignity and privacy, seen in practice.
- Responsive
Care plans, reviews and complaints.
- Well-led
Governance, audit cycles and oversight.
Named pieces of work, not vague consultancy
Take one on its own or the whole route. Each has a defined scope and a fixed fee agreed before we begin.
Mock inspection & site visit
A full on-site assessment in the style of a real inspection, with an indicative view of where each key question currently stands.
Post-inspection action plan
The plan you owe the CQC, written properly. Specific, dated, evidenced and owned, rather than a list of good intentions.
Governance & audit frameworks
Audit cycles, oversight and reporting set up so problems surface early and get closed without anyone chasing.
Policies, procedures & records
Reviewed, updated and, the part that matters, actually embedded in practice and reflected in your training records.
Registered manager support
Coaching and practical backup for the person holding the registration, including preparing for conversations with inspectors.
Ongoing compliance support
A retained arrangement after the plan is delivered, so readiness is maintained rather than rebuilt before each inspection.
If it's already gone further than a rating
Enforcement action, conditions on your registration, a notice of proposal, or a service in special measures. These need moving on in days, not weeks. Say so when you get in touch and we'll treat it accordingly.
- Rapid on-site review, prioritised by regulatory risk
- Help responding to the regulator with evidence, not promises
- Interim hands-on support where leadership is stretched
CQC-regulated services across England
Providers rated Requires Improvement or Inadequate, and providers putting things right before their next inspection.
Care homes
Residential services evidencing improvement quickly and steadily.
Nursing homes
Higher-acuity services where clinical governance must be evidenced.
Domiciliary care
Dispersed teams and records that need one clear picture.
Supported living
Balancing independence and risk, and evidencing that balance well.
Also supporting
If your service type isn't listed, it's still worth asking. The framework is the same.
- Extra care housing
- Learning disability services
- Mental health support
- Respite & short breaks
People who have sat where you are sitting
We've run services, held the registration, and had the difficult conversation with an inspector at the end of a long day. You get the same people throughout, not a report from someone you never meet again.
Sector-experienced
Care professionals who have held registrations, not generalist consultants.
Same team throughout
One point of contact from first call to re-inspection readiness.
Without judgement
We start from where you are, not from how you got here.
No one can guarantee your next CQC rating. Be careful of anyone who says they can.
What we can do is address the findings properly, evidence the improvements you've made, and have you genuinely prepared for re-inspection. That's the honest version, and it's the one worth paying for.
Straight answers before you get in touch
If your question isn't here, ask it in the form below. We'll answer it properly rather than send a brochure.
How long does the audit take?
It depends on the size and type of your service, though the audit itself is typically around two weeks. We agree the scope and timescale with you when we speak, before any work starts.
Do you work with Requires Improvement and Inadequate services?
Yes, both. They are the bulk of our work, and there is no judgement in how we approach it. The focus is on what needs to change, in what order, and who is doing it.
What do we receive at the end?
A written audit report of findings against the five key questions, cross-referenced to your inspection report, and a prioritised, dated action plan with named owners. Where you take up implementation support, we then work alongside your team to deliver it.
Do you guarantee our next rating?
No. No one can guarantee a CQC rating, and anyone who tells you otherwise should be treated with caution. What we do is help you address the findings properly, evidence the improvements you have made, and be genuinely prepared for re-inspection.
What does it cost?
Fixed scope and a fixed fee, agreed before we begin, so there are no open-ended day rates. We'll talk the figure through with you once we understand your service.
Will our staff feel inspected all over again?
We're direct about findings and gentle with people. The audit is thorough, but it's done alongside your team rather than to them, and we explain what we're looking at and why as we go.
Are you the CQC, or connected to them?
No. CQCS is an independent consultancy and has no connection to the Care Quality Commission. We can't act on their behalf, influence their judgements, or handle complaints about a service. For anything of that kind you need to contact the CQC directly.
Is anything we tell you confidential?
Yes. Enquiries and everything we see during an engagement stay between us, and we don't name clients without written permission. The one limit is our safeguarding duty: if we became aware of a risk to someone's safety, we would tell you and follow the proper route.
Can you help with a single issue rather than everything?
Yes. Plenty of providers come to us for one named piece of work, a mock inspection, an action plan, or governance frameworks, and nothing more. We'll tell you honestly if we think that alone won't address what the report found.
Let's talk it through, calmly
Leave your details and we'll come back to you. No obligation, entirely confidential, and nothing is shared with anyone else.
- We read your enquiry and come back to you, usually within one working day.
- A conversation about your service and your report. No pitch, no pressure.
- If we're the right fit, a written scope and a fixed fee before anything begins.
Prefer email? hello@cqcsupport.com