Health, Support and Care

Your easy guide to

CQC Registration
Avoid common mistakes, cut through the
confusion for frustration free registration
 2
Introduction

Introduction
Who are the Access Group
What CQC need to see
in your application
Registration Checklist
What your proposed registered
manager needs
Common mistakes to avoid
What is the statement of
purpose – what do I need
to show?
Statement of Financial Viability
Supporting Documents
Registering as a new care provider with the Care Quality Commission
(CQC) can be a daunting process. Some aspects can be realty unfamiliar
to people that have spent most of the careers providing care. Even to
those with experience setting up businesses, the extra scrutiny and
severity of setting up a care provider can be very confusing.
To help we’ve created this quick guide to highlight some of the key points
that are missed by care providers when trying to register their care
service. You should still consult the CQC if in doubt, but after reading
this guide you should have a clearer idea of the what the core of your
application needs to include and common mistakes you should avoid.

Policies and Procedures

Required for Registration

Quality Management Policies

Good Governance Policies

Safeguarding Policies

Access Policies & Procedures

Learn more

Introduction
Who are the Access Group
What CQC need to see
in your application
Registration Checklist
What your proposed registered
manager needs
Common mistakes to avoid
What is the statement of
purpose – what do I need
to show?
Statement of Financial Viability
Supporting Documents
Policies and Procedures
Required for Registration
Quality Management Policies
Good Governance Policies
Safeguarding Policies
Access Policies & Procedures
Learn more
3
Who are the Access Group
At Access we provide software to local authorities, social care providers, the NHS, charities and every other
part of our health and care sector. Tens of thousands of social care providers have used our software to
digitise their day to day work, and through working with them we’ve learnt a great deal about what it takes to
start, grow and sustain a high quality care service.
Our care software suites are used in every care setting including residential, domiciliary, supported living and
extra care services, for both adults and children.
We also offer exclusive discounts on packages for providers that are new or still in the process of registering
their care service. For more information on these contact us here.
In addition, we offer CQC registration support alongside our digital policies and procedures platform,
get in touch to find out more about this service.
You can add new apps to your Access Workspace for Care as your needs and business develops, here is a
quick list of some of the modules your Access Workspace for Care can include:
• Care rostering
• Care planning
• eMAR/Medication Management
• Digital policies and procedures platform
• Care compliance, auditing and quality improvement
• Digital, next gen telecare and remote monitoring
• Employee recruitment and screening
• Finance management and pay
• eLearning and training
• Analytics and reporting
We have written this guide with the help of our in house experts,
who have worked in or around social care for decades.

Introduction
Who are the Access Group
What CQC need to see
in your application
Registration Checklist
What your proposed registered
manager needs
Common mistakes to avoid
What is the statement of
purpose – what do I need
to show?
Statement of Financial Viability
Supporting Documents
Policies and Procedures
Required for Registration
Quality Management Policies
Good Governance Policies
Safeguarding Policies
Access Policies & Procedures
Learn more
What CQC need to see in your application
• That you are financially viable
• That you have suitable premises for the type of care you will provide
• That you and other owners are a fit and proper person/s
• You have a suitable, competent person to act as a registered manager
• That you have necessary policies and procedures in place
• You are a responsible person
• All your supporting documents
4
Registration Checklist:
Here is a short checklist of what you need to submit as part of your application.
Please click through on the linked items to get more detail on what needs to be supplied.
Countersigned Enhanced DBS check for me and my registered manager/s
completed – this must be less than 12 months old
All supporting documents ready for your service type, including:
• Required policies and procedures
• Business Plan, including a forecast of where your business/clients are going to
come from, for example privately funded, CCGs, local authority contracts etc.
• Staff training matrix
Suitable registered manager, with the required qualifications and experience,
with supporting evidence
Completed registered manager form (if not a sole trader)
Comprehensive statement of purpose
References (for individual providers):
• Details of employment history
• GP name and contact details
• Most recent employer name and contact details
• Declaration of medical fitness
Completed statement of financial viability
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Your proposed registered manager needs:

• Relevant qualifications
Introduction

Who are the Access Group

• Up to date training

What CQC need to see • Evidence to show your competence skills and experience in managing care services or
in your application suitable transferable experience
Registration Checklist
We’ve also written an article you can read that covers what someone needs to become a registered manger.
What your proposed
registered manager needs
Common mistakes to avoid
Common mistakes to avoid

What is the statement of Mistakes in your application can cause delays, or even see your application rejected.
purpose – what do I need Here are some of the most common application errors for you to avoid:
to show?

Statement of Financial Viability • No registered manager application

Supporting Documents • Details in registered manager form and provider application don’t match
Policies and Procedures
Required for Registration • Incorrect form used – for example using the ‘add a regulated activity’ instead of ‘add a location’ form, when
trying to add an additional location to their service.
Quality Management Policies
• Missing statement of purpose
Good Governance Policies

Safeguarding Policies • Incomplete provider details

Access Policies & Procedures • Missing Data Protection Act declaration

• Missing application declaration, or missing signature/date of submission

• Incomplete location details

• Not submitting/uploading policies and procedures in the correct three categories

(Quality Management, Governance, Safeguarding)
Learn more
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What is the statement of purpose – what do I need to show?

The statement of purpose is a really important part of your application if you don’t get it right, your
Introduction
application will be rejected.
Who are the Access Group
Double check against the checklist below and follow the links to the CQC’s templates for each part
What CQC need to see to ensure you have all the information you need.
in your application

Registration Checklist

What your proposed

registered manager needs Part 1: About the provider:

Common mistakes to avoid • name of the business

What is the statement of
purpose – what do I need • type of business (legal status) - for example sole trader, partnership, or organisation
to show?
• your business address, telephone number and email address
Statement of Financial Viability
(including address for serving notices or other documents)
Supporting Documents
• names of any partners in your business
Policies and Procedures
Required for Registration

Quality Management Policies

Good Governance Policies

Safeguarding Policies CQC Template

Access Policies & Procedures

Learn more
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Part 2: Your aims and objectives

Introduction
Who are the Access Group
What CQC need to see
in your application
Registration Checklist
What your proposed
registered manager needs
Common mistakes to avoid
What is the statement of
purpose – what do I need
to show?
Statement of Financial Viability
In this part you describe your aims and objectives in running your care service.
Ensure to demonstrate your dedication to the CQC’s fundamental standards and will
run a care service that will meet the CQC’s 5 Key questions (Safe, Effective, Carting,
Responsive, Well-Led). Express what motivates you to provide high quality care (and
how you aim to do so) in this section.
Is there anything distinctive about your approach? Here is the place to show it.
However, you need to remember to be realistic too.
The CQC template for this section won’t help much, as it is essentially a blank canvas.
Some care providers publish their statement of purpose online. So to help you when
writing yours, here are some examples of their aims and objectives, with links to their
full statements of purpose:
To manage the Care Service efficiently and effectively to make best use of resources and
to maximise value for money for the Purchaser / Service User.
To involve service users and carers in the provisions, management and development of
services, which will be monitored regularly as part of the quality assurance framework
ensuring that the service is run in the best interests of our service users.
To ensure that all service users are aware of the procedures of making compliments,
comments and complaints.
As you can see from the other examples below, the format and information included in
each provider’s aims and objectives can vary greatly. Review them together and you will
start to see the overall direction is to show you understand the principles that underpin
high quality, safe, person centered care.
Real statement of purpose examples:

Supporting Documents
A Class Care • Accuro Care
The Aims and Objectives of the Company • Pettswood Homecare
Policies and Procedures
Required for Registration
Person centered care forms the core of the service we provide here at A Class Care and • Best2Care
Quality Management Policies our staff are committed to meeting our aims and objectives:

Good Governance Policies
Safeguarding Policies
Access Policies & Procedures
To deliver a service of the highest quality that will improve and sustain the client’s overall
quality of life.
To ensure that the service is delivered flexibly, attentively and in a non-discriminatory
fashion, while respecting client’s right to independence, privacy, dignity, fulfilment, and
the rights to make informed choices.

To ensure that client’s needs and values are respected in matters of religion, culture,
race or ethnic origin, sexuality and sexual orientation, political affiliation, marital status,
parenthood and disabilities or impairments.

To match the nominated Care Worker as closely as possible with the client, and respecting
the need to change the Care Worker in the event of subsequent non -compatibility.
Learn more
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Part 3: the care location

Introduction
In this section you need to provide information on the places where you provide services,
Who are the Access Group for example care home, agency office or supported living home. In this section you must provide:
What CQC need to see
in your application
• the address and other contact details

Registration Checklist • a description of your location

What your proposed • the type of service you provide at the location
registered manager needs
• the different needs of people who use your service - these will include your service user bands
Common mistakes to avoid
• the activities we regulate that you provide at the location
What is the statement of
purpose – what do I need
to show?
• the registered manager who manages those activities at the location.

Statement of Financial Viability See the CQC’s template for this section to ensure you record the required information.
Supporting Documents

Policies and Procedures

Required for Registration
Part 4: Registered managers
Quality Management Policies

Good Governance Policies For each of your registered managers, your statement of purpose must include:

Safeguarding Policies • their full name and contact details

Access Policies & Procedures • the address we should use to serve notices and other documents to them

• the locations they manage and the percentage of time they spend at each

• the activities we regulate that they manage

• details of any job share arrangements.

Learn more The CQC’s template for this section can be found here.
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Statement of Financial Viability

Introduction
Who are the Access Group
What CQC need to see
in your application
Registration Checklist
What your proposed
registered manager needs
Common mistakes to avoid
New care providers need to show the CQC that they are in a good financial position to run a successful
care service that delivers for service users sustainably. This is to reassure the CQC that you have the
required financial resources both to run a care service and to respond to unforeseen circumstances that
could severely disrupt those care services.
The statement of financial viability must be written by a person that is neither a friend nor a relative
and is a financial specialist, meaning either:
• An accountant/accountancy company that is registered with a recognized accountancy supervisory
or qualifying body

What is the statement of • A bank or financial services firm which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
purpose – what do I need
to show? It is recommended that the financial expert uses this template provided by the CQC as it explains what
Statement of Financial Viability is being asked for, why and which regulations this information relates to.

Supporting Documents Providers that are in the Market Oversight Scheme are exempt from providing a Statement
Policies and Procedures of Financial Viability.
Required for Registration

Quality Management Policies

Good Governance Policies

Safeguarding Policies

Access Policies & Procedures

Learn more

Introduction
Who are the Access Group
What CQC need to see
in your application
Registration Checklist
What your proposed
registered manager needs
Common mistakes to avoid
What is the statement of
purpose – what do I need
to show?
Statement of Financial Viability
Supporting Documents
Policies and Procedures
Required for Registration
Quality Management Policies
Good Governance Policies
Safeguarding Policies
Access Policies & Procedures
Learn more
10
Supporting Documents
Your application for registration will need to include a set of supporting documents. If you’re registering a residential care service you’ll need:
If you’re registering a domiciliary care service you’ll need: • Building completion certificate (if applicable and available)
• Business plan • Complaints policy and procedure
• Governance policy • Emergency plan
• Infection control policy • Financial viability statement (unless you’re a corporate provider)
• Medicines policy • Governance policy
• Safeguarding policy • Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) registration certificate
• Statement of purpose • List of risk assessments
• Medicines management policy and procedures
• Mental capacity and deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLs) policies
• Organisational structure
• Planning permission (if applicable)
• Public and employer liability insurance quote or certificate
• Quality assurance policy
• Recruitment policy
• Safeguarding policy and procedures document
• Safety and security of premises policy
• Sample care plan
• Staffing structure
• Staff training matrix or plan
• Statement of purpose
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Policies and Procedures Required for Registration

The policies and procedures that you must have in order to register you care service are categorized into
Introduction
three groups and should be uploaded in these groups, in a format where the max file size is under 2MB.
Who are the Access Group
• Quality Management
What CQC need to see
in your application • Good Governance

Registration Checklist • Safeguarding

What your proposed

registered manager needs Quality Management Policies:
Common mistakes to avoid

What is the statement of

purpose – what do I need Administration of Medication - Safe Handling
to show? Medication Other than Homely Remedies & Administration
Oral and Topical of Medicines
Statement of Financial Viability

Supporting Documents
Care Planning & Management Service User
Policies and Procedures
Personalised Assessment of Medicines Risk Management
Required for Registration

Quality Management Policies

Good Governance Policies

Complaints Infection Topical Medication
Safeguarding Policies Prevention & Control Application Guidance

Access Policies & Procedures

Corporate Risk Quality Record

Management Assurance Keeping

Mental Capacity Act

2005 & Deprivation of Liberty
Learn more
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Good Governance Policies: Safeguarding Policies:

• Safeguarding adults
Introduction
• Safeguarding children in an adult setting
Who are the Access Group
Business Continuity
What CQC need to see Access Policies & Procedures
in your application
Access Policies and Procedures contains all the policies and procedures you need to
Registration Checklist Health & Safety
register and run your care service, in a digital platform with a mobile app, enabling staff to
What your proposed
access and read policies wherever they are, at any time.
registered manager needs
Health & Safety Policy Statement
Common mistakes to avoid This means less admin, care workers are never without the policy or procedure they need
What is the statement of and is a considerably cheaper option than hiring consultants or using other policy and
purpose – what do I need
to show? Staff Induction procedure writing services.

Statement of Financial Viability

Supporting Documents Staff Recruitment Learn more here

Policies and Procedures
Required for Registration

Quality Management Policies Staff Supervision and Spot Checks

Good Governance Policies

Safeguarding Policies Training and Development

Access Policies & Procedures

Learn more