Read inspection information carefully and ask clear questions about how a home listens, responds and reviews care.
Find the question you need to work through
Each guide focuses on one practical task. Choose the topic relevant to your situation and use the questions to prepare a conversation with the person, family or relevant team. You do not need to work through every guide in order.
Reading a CQC care-home profile
The regulator’s current profile helps identify the registered service and its published assessment. Read the service name and provider details before drawing conclusions from a rating.
Read the guide →Current and archived CQC profiles
A home can appear in more than one search result because regulator records include earlier registrations or providers. Check the status before relying on a result.
Read the guide →Questions to ask about an inspection
An inspection report can prompt useful questions about everyday practice. Choose the parts relevant to the person rather than treating the rating as the whole conversation.
Read the guide →Giving useful feedback to a care home
Specific feedback gives the team something it can respond to. Include what happened, when it happened and what you would like clarified or changed.
Read the guide →Raising a concern about care
A concern should reach the person who can act on it. Explain the immediate issue and ask what will happen next, rather than waiting for a routine review.
Read the guide →Following up a complaint
A clear record helps you understand whether a complaint has been acknowledged, investigated and answered. Ask for the current procedure rather than assuming a timetable.
Read the guide →Questions about safeguarding arrangements
Families can ask how concerns about abuse, neglect or harm are recognised and raised. A viewing is a chance to understand the route, not to investigate another person’s situation.
Read the guide →Questions about recruitment and staff development
Ask the home to explain how it checks suitability for roles and supports staff learning. Focus on responsibilities and practice rather than seeking confidential employee records.
Read the guide →Checking current infection-prevention visiting arrangements
Visiting arrangements can change with circumstances. Ask for current instructions close to the visit rather than relying on an old web page or another visitor’s experience.
Read the guide →Continue with another part of the decision
Practical planning for families or return to all family resources.
We’re here to listen.
If you would like a little help with your next step, our team is happy to talk. Call 01202 511399 or send us an enquiry. Tell us what is on your mind, and we can help you understand what happens next.