As we move towards a welcomed post Covid world, it is likely the CQC will resume onsite inspections later this year.

Whilst a CQC inspection should be a positive experience, a time to celebrate and showcase a care home or care service, an inspection may create fear and anxiety across a staff team. This may result in the staff team feeling demoralised, they may lack confidence about the inspection process and become fearful of the CQC inspection. These emotions may affect their ability to focus during the inspection process, which in turn may have an adverse effect on the service rating.

In most cases, CQC inspectors will spend a day on site to review evidence to inform their judgement about a care home or care service across the five key lines of enquiry (safe, effective, well led, caring and responsive).

The onus is on the care provider, to support the inspector to make a fair and representative judgement about the care home or care service, through:

• Evidencing compliance.
• Shining a spotlight on the areas of excellence.
• Enabling and empowering the people who live in the care home or receive the care service, their loved ones and the care and support team, to share their experiences and views on the care home or care service with the CQC inspectors.
• Sharing lessons learned and improvement plans.

As CQC inspections are unannounced, a registered manager may not be as prepared as they would like to be for the inspection. Unforeseen operational pressures that need the attention of the care home or care service manager may arise during the inspection, this may adversely impact upon the overall CQC rating as crucial evidence may be unintentionally overlooked therefore, it is crucial the whole care home or care service team is inspection ready.

Through our ‘GROW your compliance confidence’ service, social care coach and consultant Donna Briggs, will work with your care team to build their compliance confidence and to be inspection ready, so your whole care team feels comfortable and confident when the inspector calls.

Be compliance confident, get the CQC outcome rating you and your team deserve.

For further information on our GROW your compliance confidence service or to arrange a no obligation discussion, please contact Donna e:donna@careleadershipsupport.co.uk