CQC Application Help
End-to-end preparation and review of a new provider CQC registration application.
Learn more →Service · Domiciliary & Home Care
Domiciliary care registration for home care agencies in England
Domiciliary care registration is how a home care agency gets CQC's green light to deliver personal care in people's own homes. The evidence CQC wants is different from a care home's — built around care delivered off-site, out of a manager's direct sight. We prepare and review the whole application.
What is different about domiciliary care
Care in someone's home is regulated around what CQC cannot directly see.
Domiciliary care and home care agency registration both use the same CQC regulated activity — "personal care" — and follow the same application route as any provider registration. What differs is where CQC's attention goes.
Because care happens in people's own homes rather than on one site, CQC looks closely at how you plan, supervise and safeguard care that no manager is present to observe: person-centred care planning, field supervision and spot checks, lone-working arrangements, continuity of care, and safeguarding that works at a distance. An application that treats domiciliary care as a residential service with the address changed is the most common reason for follow-up questions.
Focus
Domiciliary & home care agency registration
Regulated activity
Personal care
Timeline
Around 10–12 weeks to assess a complete application; 3–6 months end to end
Pairs well with
What we prepare
Everything that goes into the application, built for home-based care.
- A statement of purpose that describes personal care delivered in people's own homes
- Person-centred care planning and risk assessment templates built for domiciliary delivery
- Field supervision, spot-check and competency records for staff working in the community
- Lone-working and staff-safety policies
- Safeguarding processes that work without a manager on site
- Call monitoring and rostering evidence for continuity of care
- DBS, right to work, references and training records assembled against CQC's checklist
How it works
Our domiciliary care registration process, step by step.
01
Scoping call
We confirm you need the "personal care" regulated activity, the service types that apply, and who will be your nominated individual and registered manager.
02
Evidence build
We work through CQC's checklist with you, adapting care-planning and supervision systems to how care is actually delivered in the community.
03
Statement of purpose
We draft and refine your statement of purpose so it consistently describes home-based personal care, not a residential model.
04
Full review
We check the whole application against CQC's requirements, with particular attention to the community-supervision and safeguarding evidence CQC scrutinises for domiciliary services.
05
Submission and questions
You submit through the CQC provider portal, and we help you respond to any questions CQC raises during assessment.
What to expect
Realistic timelines for domiciliary care registration
Domiciliary registration follows the same route as any provider registration, but CQC pays particular attention to how you assure quality for care it cannot observe directly. Supervision, spot checks, and safeguarding at a distance are common areas for follow-up questions.
Once CQC accepts a complete application for assessment, a processing time of around 10 to 12 weeks is realistic, and the whole journey from first enquiry to a granted registration usually takes three to six months. Incomplete or inaccurate applications are now returned on receipt, so our work focuses on completeness before submission.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is domiciliary care registration?
Domiciliary care registration is CQC registration for a service that provides personal care to people living in their own homes. The regulated activity is "personal care", and you must be registered for it before you start delivering care.
Is home care agency registration different from domiciliary care registration?
They are the same thing. "Home care agency" and "domiciliary care" both describe personal care delivered in people's own homes, registered with CQC under the "personal care" regulated activity.
How long does domiciliary care registration take?
Around 10 to 12 weeks for CQC to assess a complete application, and typically 3 to 6 months from first enquiry to a granted registration. Incomplete applications are now returned on receipt, which adds time.
Do I need a registered manager for a domiciliary care agency?
Yes. You need to name a registered manager on the application, and they normally go through their own registration and a CQC interview alongside the provider application.
What evidence does CQC want that is specific to domiciliary care?
CQC looks closely at how you plan, supervise and safeguard care that happens away from a manager's direct oversight: field supervision and spot checks, lone-working arrangements, continuity of care, and safeguarding processes that work at a distance.
Can you help a brand-new domiciliary care agency register?
Yes. Most of our domiciliary work is with new agencies registering for the first time, from confirming the right regulated activity through to responding to CQC's assessment questions.
Related services
Where this fits with the rest of our support
Registered Manager Support
Mock interviews and fit and proper person readiness for the manager named on your registration.
Learn more →Policies & Procedures
Service-specific policy suites mapped to your regulated activities and CQC's quality statements.
Learn more →CQC Compliance Consultancy
Audits, mock inspections and action plans that keep your registered service inspection-ready.
Learn more →TDDI Registration
Registration or variation for Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury and complex care.
Learn more →Registering a domiciliary care agency?
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