The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published an improvement plan aimed at overhauling its regulatory approach by the end of 2026.
The watchdog said the plan, published at the end of last month, will enable it to regain its purpose of “providing effective regulation of health and social care services”.
It comes after a year of backlash against the regulator over the last year. In 2024, an independent review identified ‘significant internal failings’ that had hampered the CQC’s ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care providers and GP practices.
The report found inspection levels were well below where they were pre-COVID, a lack of clinical expertise among inspectors, a lack of consistency in assessments and problems with the regulator’s IT system.
The CQC has acknowledged that it has made progress in addressing some of the most urgent challenges that affect the way it works. This includes improving the experience for providers when registering with the regulator and tackling its backlog of applications.
The watchdog has also restructured into four operational inspectorates focused around areas of sector expertise.
It said that making these changes means it is on track to reach its target of completing 9,000 assessments by the end of 2026.
Looking ahead, the CQC plans to review its assessment framework and methodology, as recommended by external reviews into the regulator’s effectiveness, and provide effective guidance to support providers.
The regulator also stressed that there is significant work needed to be done to improve its digital platforms and how it manages, uses and stores data. In January, the CQC admitted during a meeting with the Health and Social Care Select Committee that 500 inspection reports were stuck in an IT platform introduced in 2021 and could not be retrieved.
Learning from previous experiences, the CQC said it will implement changes in a phased manner, with “clear points to pause and review progress before continuing”.
Next steps
The transformation roadmap extends to the end of 2028, with the CQC’s immediate focus on planned activity in 2026.
During this initial period the CQC said it will:
- redesign its entire regulatory process
- test and pilot its assessment approach and new technology
- scope improvements to its online provider portal
- continue to strengthen its registration service.
The CQC said it is also working on how it can improve how it assesses and rates providers following a public consultation.
Key milestones include:
- Spring 2026: analysing and responding to feedback from the consultation to develop a new assessment framework.
- Testing with colleagues and piloting with a selection of providers to ensure the methodology works for all sectors.
- Summer 2026: publishing the final assessment framework(s) and developing guidance to support providers before they are implemented at the end of the year.
- Ongoing: Improving the registration service to deliver quicker, clear decisions for providers and better safeguards for service users, and improving its digital capabilities, including updating its data platform.