CQC Application Help
End-to-end preparation of your new provider registration application, and a full review before you submit.
Learn more →Service · Policies & Procedures
Care policies and procedures written for your service
Policies and procedures are the written framework CQC expects every care provider to have in place, follow, and keep current. We write policies that reflect how your service actually runs, mapped to the regulated activities you deliver and the standards CQC assesses against.
Why a template pack is not enough
CQC checks that policies fit your service and that staff actually follow them.
CQC expects complete, service-specific documentation from the point of application and does not accept a generic template pack with a provider's name added.
Policies also have to be more than a document on a shelf. Inspectors check whether staff know them and follow them in practice, so a policy suite has to be written for how your service works and understood by the people delivering care.
Focus
Policy suites for registration and ongoing compliance
Timing
Built alongside a registration application; reviews are ongoing
Coverage
Mapped to your regulated activities, service types, and CQC's quality statements
Pairs well with
What you get
A suite built around your service, not a folder to file away.
- A policy suite matched to your regulated activities and service types, not a generic pack
- Core policies: safeguarding, medicines, infection prevention, health and safety, recruitment, training
- Care-delivery procedures that describe what your staff actually do, step by step
- Mental Capacity Act, consent, and dignity policies aligned with current guidance
- A review schedule so policies stay current as law, guidance, and your service change
- Version control and a record of who has read and understood each policy
How it works
How we build a policy suite.
01
Service mapping
We list every regulated activity, service type, and setting you operate, because that determines which policies you need.
02
Gap review
We compare what you have against what CQC expects and flag anything missing, outdated, or contradictory.
03
Drafting
We write or rework each policy in plain language, tailored to your model of care.
04
Embedding
We help you roll the policies out so staff have read them and can follow them, which is what CQC checks.
05
Review cycle
We set review dates and support the updates so the suite does not drift out of date.
What to expect
What makes a policy suite hold up
A good policy suite is written for how your service actually works, is understood by the people delivering care, and is reviewed on a schedule rather than rewritten in a panic before an inspection.
Your policies, your statement of purpose, and your day-to-day practice all need to tell the same story. CQC notices when a policy refers to a service type or activity that is not on your registration, or the other way round.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What policies and procedures does a care provider need for CQC?
A care provider needs a policy suite covering safeguarding, safe care and treatment, medicines, infection prevention and control, recruitment and staffing, training and supervision, consent and mental capacity, complaints, and governance, among others. The exact set depends on the regulated activities and service types you are registered for.
Can I use a template policy pack?
You can start from templates, but CQC does not accept a generic pack with your name added — it expects service-specific documentation from the point of application. Templates have to be adapted to your model of care, your settings, and the way your staff actually work.
How often should care policies be reviewed?
Care policies should be reviewed on a set schedule, commonly at least annually, and also whenever the law, national guidance, or your own service changes. Inspectors look at review dates, so a policy that is years out of date is a compliance risk in itself.
Do policies need to match our statement of purpose?
Yes, your policies, statement of purpose, and day-to-day practice all need to tell the same story about what your service does and how. CQC notices when a policy refers to a service type or activity that is not on your registration, or the other way round.
What is the difference between a policy and a procedure?
A policy sets out your organisation's position and what it requires; a procedure sets out the step-by-step actions staff take to meet it. CQC expects both, and expects front-line procedures to reflect what genuinely happens rather than an idealised version.
Will you help our staff actually use the policies?
Yes, we help you roll policies out so staff have read them, understood them, and can apply them, because that is what CQC assesses. A policy that no one on shift can explain does not evidence compliance.
Related services
Where this fits with the rest of our support
CQC Compliance Consultancy
Audits, mock inspections, and action plans that keep your registered service inspection-ready.
Learn more →Registered Manager Support
Mock interviews and fit and proper person readiness for the manager named on your registration.
Learn more →Domiciliary & Home Care Registration
Sector-specific support for home care agency registration, where CQC's evidence expectations differ.
Learn more →TDDI Registration
Registration or variation for Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury and complex care.
Learn more →Need a policy suite that holds up?
Book a free, no-obligation consultation.