Another CQC email has landed in your inbox. Another update on the new framework. If you run a care service, whether that’s a residential home, a domiciliary care agency, a supported living service or a Shared Lives scheme, you’ve probably all felt the same thing; it’s hard to keep up.
I spend a lot of my time talking to managers and providers about exactly this, and one question comes up more than any other right now. What’s actually happening, and what do I need to do about it?
So here’s where things stand, what we have been told so far, and what you need to do.
First, the bit that matters most: nothing has changed yet
The five key questions, Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led, are staying. The regulations you’re assessed against are staying. Great care is still great care, and it’s still assessed in broadly the same way it always has been.
Most services will continue to be assessed under the current Single Assessment Framework until the new approach is fully rolled out, and that’s still some way off. If you’re expecting an inspection in the next few months, prepare exactly as you always would.
A quick recap: how we got here
- December 2025: CQC shared 24 draft areas for assessment.
- March 2026: Those areas were confirmed as Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs), and draft Rating Characteristics were published for each sector.
- Spring 2026: A public consultation ran on the draft sector frameworks, closing on 12th June.
- June 2026: CQC confirmed it is now piloting the new approach.
- Now: The pilot is underway and will run until October 2026, with CQC’s final evaluation due in November.
What’s changing, once it lands
- Sector-specific frameworks. Rather than one framework covering everything from hospitals to dentists, adult social care gets its own framework, built around your world rather than borrowed from somewhere else.
- 34 Quality Statements become 24 Key Lines of Enquiry, framed as questions describing what CQC will look for, rather than declarations of intent.
- Rating Characteristics are coming back, giving clear descriptions of what Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate look like against each KLOE.
- Scoring is simplified. Rather than scoring every quality statement individually, judgements will be made at Key Question and service level.
- Two types of inspection: routine planned inspections on a regular cycle, and rapid response inspections when something specific needs looking into.
- Not everything, every time. CQC will assess every Key Question but won’t necessarily dig into every single area at every visit, once it’s confident in the overall picture of your service.
- More conversation, less paperwork. CQC has talked about an 80/20 split, weighted toward observation and speaking with people rather than reviewing documents.
- Named inspectors are being introduced gradually from this summer, each covering a caseload of around 60 services.
Where things actually stand: the pilot
- It’s voluntary. If you’re asked to take part and choose not to, there’s no penalty.
- It runs alongside your existing inspection, not instead of it. You’ll still be assessed under the current framework.
- Pilot judgements don’t count. They carry no legal standing and won’t affect your rating.
- It’s about testing understanding. CQC specifically wants to see whether providers can clearly follow how a rating or judgement was reached, which was one of the loudest criticisms of the current system.
CQC confirmed on 4th June that it’s now running a structured pilot from June through to October 2026, with a final evaluation in November.
A few things worth knowing about it:
What this means for your service, right now
If CQC turn up before November, it’ll most likely be under the current framework, though you may be offered the chance to take part in the pilot alongside it.
November should bring a clearer, more settled version of the new approach, shaped by what the pilot teaches CQC.
After that, expect things to go quiet. It’s unlikely that the CQC will publish major regulatory changes over Christmas – though still a possibility!
All being well, a full rollout looks more realistic in the new year than before the end of 2026. That’s later than some of the earlier timelines suggested, and it’s worth planning around.
What to do now
- Carry on as normal. Don’t panic-prep based on speculation, and don’t let a moving deadline distract you from the care you’re already delivering well.
- Get familiar with the 24 KLOEs. They’re the areas future inspections will be structured around, and getting ahead of the language now will save you time later.
- Keep your feedback systems strong. ‘Listening to and responding to feedback’ is now a named KLOE in its own right. Make sure you can evidence it clearly, not just say you do it.
- Hold onto your evidence, not just your paperwork. Stories about specific, tangible changes you’ve made because of feedback carry more weight than a policy folder ever will.
- Say yes to the pilot if you’re invited. It’s a genuine chance to see the new approach in action, and to have your experience shape it before it goes live everywhere.
- Watch for your named inspector. As these roles roll out over the summer, building a relationship with the person assessing your service is worth the effort.
Whatever changes on paper, the thing that decides your rating hasn’t changed and never will. It’s the quality of the care you deliver, every day, to the people who rely on you. Frameworks come and go. Quality Statements become Key Lines of Enquiry. Scoring methods shift. Good care stays good care.
I’ll keep sharing updates as CQC releases more detail, and you can be sure I’ll be watching closely when that pilot evaluation lands in November.
Louie Werth is the founder of Care Surveys, part of Care Research, and spends much of his time helping care providers prepare for CQC assessment with confidence, not fear.