What exactly is CQC going to do between now and Christmas?
I nearly called this article ‘A little less conversation, a little more action please’. Then I looked at what CQC has actually done since the spring and had to admit, in fairness, they have been rather busy.
So here is where things stand on the assessment backlog, the new assessment framework and CQC’s first public moves on AI - and what providers can realistically expect before the year is out.
CQC has cleared its assessment target - a month early
CQC had been struggling under the weight of its own assessment backlog for quite some time. It had set an ambitious task of completing 9,000 assessments across all sectors by the end of September, and in its August update confirmed it has now completed 9,646 inspections - a month ahead of schedule.
Overall, this is good news. More services have an up-to-date CQC rating, inspectors are back to assessing care quality, and providers can celebrate what is going well and plan around what is not.
But a fair point has been raised, cautiously, by a lot of people: all 9,646 of those assessments were completed under the soon-to-be-retired Single Assessment Framework. Why turbo-charge assessments against a framework you are about to retire? It feels a bit like buying someone a 2026 calendar in September.
I think it is a fair criticism, but there are two things worth bearing in mind.
First, a new rating – even one given under the outgoing SAF - is far more valuable to providers, to people receiving support and to their families than a rating that might be five years old and was given under a framework that was retired even earlier.
Second, CQC is stuck between a rock and a hard place here. Had it stopped inspecting under the SAF from the moment it announced the framework was changing, we would have had close to two years with almost no inspections at all; clearly an untenable position.
Which brings us to the real question sitting underneath 9,000-plus SAF assessments: when will the new framework actually be ready?
The new (new) CQC Framework: the Christmas present we’re all waiting for?
Alongside clearing the backlog, CQC spent the Summer testing and piloting its draft sector-specific frameworks, with evaluation of that pilot programme expected in November. That led to a reasonable hope (or expectation) that a new framework might tentatively launch in January 2027.
CQC has since said the summer pilots produced valuable feedback and identified where further refinement is needed. As a result, the plan for Autumn is now ‘a programme of bespoke, sector-specific engagement to explore areas of our assessment frameworks, guidance and methods in greater detail’.
I can feel the eyerolls as you read this. Another consultation, really? That was my first reaction too.
What this suggests is that a few things have ‘cropped up’ over the Summer and CQC wants to sense-check them. It does not sound like a complete re-write, but clearly some tweaks and implementation quirks need addressing. It is not yet clear what these events will look like - a mixture of online and in person seems likely.
Previous bets were on a January launch; this extra engagement period could push that back. The consensus across sectors is broadly “we’ve told you enough, please get on with it” – and after roughly two years of engagement events, webinars, online polls and surveys, alongside a set of independent reviews, that is understandable. Hopefully this is the final sprint. But the new framework may yet turn out to be an Easter surprise rather than a Christmas present.
CQC and AI: worth watching, not worth worrying about
This section was nearly titled ‘let’s chuck in some AI’, though I quickly realised that may have been a tad unfair. It would be rather odd in 2026 if a leading national regulator of this size was not seriously considering where effective AI implementation could help.
CQC commented briefly exploring how technologies such as artificial intelligence could reduce delays, improve consistency and support regulatory decision-making – with any use subject to appropriate governance, oversight and transparency.
What I think is really important is that none of this appears to feed directly into the inspection experience. If it safely and effectively speeds CQC up, increases the number of assessments and improves internal governance, then that is a good thing. Let’s watch this space.
So, what is actually going to happen between now and Christmas?
It is clear CQC has a lot of momentum and feels like it is closing in on new frameworks and new approaches. My expectation for the next few months is quite a few more concrete announcements - on the framework, on methods, on how assessments will actually run – even if the finalising and full rollout still feels a little way off.
For providers, the practical answer has not changed. Until CQC says otherwise, you will be assessed under the Single Assessment Framework, so the evidence you are gathering now still counts.
