What Are The 5 CQC Standards For Residential Homes?

When the CQC conducts an inspection, they’ll ask the same 5 questions of every facility they visit. These are known as the 5 CQC Standards.

The CQC expects each of the 5 CQC Standards to be upheld by every institution they oversee.

In this blog, we’ll provided a rundown of the 5 CQC Standards – these ought to be useful to know, no matter what your role is in the care sector.

What’s more, we’ve also broken down the guidance into two sets – advice for those choosing a Home for themselves or their families, and the other is additional details the CQC considers during inspections, that are more relevant to Home managers & staff. The latter points are sourced from a lengthy PDF provided by the CQC, which we’ve summarised in this article.

The 5 CQC Standards: Are They Safe?

Establishments that the CQC regulates must keep those in their trust safe. This means preventing abuse and avoidable harm. The CQC will consider:

• Is the Home and equipment well-maintained? Is it clean and hygienic?
• Is the Home, along with residents’ belongings, secure?
• Are residents effectively protected from harassment, harm, and all forms of abuse?
• Do staff deal with incidents openly and efficiently? The Home should learn from mistakes.
• Is medicine is stored securely, and administered correctly?

Extra Points To Note For Inspections

• Are residents’ records up-to-date, secure, and accessible to those who might need them?
• How does the Home organise the rota, in such a way that there are always enough staff with the necessary skills to meet residents’ needs?
• How is safety promoted within the Home? The CQC will consider training, disciplinary actions, recruitment practices, and onboarding practices.
• How effective is the training that staff receive?

The 5 CQC Standards: Are They Effective?

Does the care, support, and treatment provided by the establishment lead to positive outcomes? Is it based on up-to-date evidence and research? Do care recipients enjoy a good quality of life?

• Are the residents asked to provide regular feedback? If so, is the feedback consistently good? And if not, is it acted upon?
• Do staff ensure that residents get the food and drink the residents need and want?
• Are the staff properly qualified/knowledgable enough to provide the level of care required?
• Are residents (and their family & friends, where necessary) able to make decisions about their care? Are they asked for consent?
• What level of awareness do staff have of residents’ needs, preferences, and desires?
• Do staff collaborate closely with healthcare professionals?

Extra Points To Note For Inspections

• Are residents’ needs responded to by staff with the relevant knowledge and experience to meet them?
• Are staff supported with additional training to keep them up to date with current best-practice?
• The CQC will review all areas of staff training, induction, support, and supervision.
• Are mealtimes flexible, well-paced, and enjoyable events for residents?

The 5 CQC Standards: Are They Caring?

You can’t have effective care without caring staff! How care staff treat those in their trust goes a long way to improve their quality of life, and even their physical condition. The CQC will look for:

• Do the staff know their residents’ backgrounds, preferences, hopes, and needs? This includes needs deriving from residents’ age, gender, sexuality, religion, race, etc.
• Are residents encouraged to share their views?
• Do the residents have access to advocates, who can speak on their behalf?
• If applicable, are staff aware of residents’ end-of-life wishes?
• Do the staff treat residents with dignity and respect? Do they have a trusting relationship with residents?
• Do residents have enough privacy?
• Are friends and family able to regularly visit residents?

Extra Points To Note For Inspections

• How well do the staff know the people they’re caring for?
• Is the home well staffed, and well-timetabled enough for staff to deliver personal, compassionate way? Do the staff have time to listen to, and involve the residents?

The 5 CQC Standards: Are they responsive to people’s needs?

The needs & conditions of those receiving care change all the time. Care establishments must be prepared to respond to these changes quickly, efficiently, and with optimal outcomes. To see whether a Home is responsive, the CQC will check:

• Does the Home have a personal care plan for every resident?
• Are residents’ friends and family involved in developing care plans?
• Are care plans amended according to changes in the residents’ needs? If so, are the relevant staff-members made aware?
• Do staff assist residents with arranging visits, supporting hobbies, and other ways of keeping residents engaged?
• How do staff organise residents’ trips to the hospital?

Extra Points To Note For Inspections

• How is technology used to improve outcomes and quality-of-life in the Home?

The 5 CQC Standards: Are they well-led?

It’s all very well having exceptional staff working hard to provide high-quality care, but teams need good leadership to perform optimally. The CQC will look at workplace & management culture, staff training, staff opportunities, and other areas associated with leading a team.

• Is the manager a familiar face at the Home? Are the staff and residents able and confident enough to report concerns to the management?
• When this happens, are the concerns properly investigated?
• Do the staff have clearly defined roles?
• Are they happy at work?
• Do managers take responsibility when things under their charge go wrong?

Extra Points To Note For Inspections

• Do staff receive feedback from managers in a motivating, constructive way? Are they able to act on it?
• Are staff involved in the development of the Home and its services?
• How does the Home assess its own performance?

What Happens If A Home Doesn’t Meet The 5 CQC Standards?

If a Home isn’t meeting the 5 CQC Standards, the CQC has a few ways to proceed. For less serious infringements, the CQC will issue a formal warning, and the Home must draft, and implement an action plan that has been approved by the CQC.

For more serious infringements, the CQC may:

• Issue fines.
• Block the Home from taking on new residents.
• Close down the Home.

The 5 CQC Standards – A Summary

The 5 CQC Standards are measures used by the CQC to assess how the organisations they regulate hold up in inspections. As a Residential Home, you should be able to meet their expectations, or you could face penalties such as fines and warnings!

What’s It Got To Do With Us?

Medilink Nursing provides Homes with temporary nursing and care staff, helping to cover shifts. Whether you’ve got some staff members on annual leave during the school holidays, or have someone call in sick at the last minute, we can help. To read more about what we do, visit our Services Page!

Having a reliable agency like Medilink Nursing on call, even if it’s just in case of emergencies, shows that your Home is prepared for any event, and proves to the CQC that you take safeguarding seriously.