Social care regulator labelled ‘not fit for purpose’ following damning report

An independent review of the CQC has found significant internal failings stopping it from being able to identify poor performance at hospitals and care homes.

The interim report, led by Dr Penny Dash, chair of the North West London Integrated Care Board, found inspection levels were still well below where they were pre-COVID, a lack of clinical expertise among inspectors, a lack of consistency in assessments and problems with CQC’s IT system.

Concerns were raised when it was discovered that, of the locations CQC has the power to inspect, it is estimated that around 1 in 5 have never received a rating. There were also reports of organisations not being re-inspected for several years, with the oldest rating for a social care provider dating from 2015.

These failings mean the regulator is currently unable to consistently and effectively judge the quality of health and care services, including those in need of urgent improvement.

The report also found that social care providers are waiting too long for their registration and rating to be updated, with implications for local capacity.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said it was clear that the CQC “is not fit for purpose”.

“When I joined the department, it was already clear that the NHS was broken and the social care system in crisis.

“But I have been stunned by the extent of the failings of the institution that is supposed to identify and act on failings.

“We cannot wait to act on these findings, so I have ordered the publication of this interim report so action can begin immediately to improve regulation and ensure transparency for patients.”

The Government has now appointed Professor Sir Mike Richards to review the regulator’s assessment frameworks and ordered the CQC to improve transparency of how it determines its ratings for health and social care providers.



Dr Dash was first asked to carry out a review of CQC in May this year. The interim report was released last Friday with a full report expected be published in the autumn.

“The contents of my interim report underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reform within CQC,” Dr Penny Dash said.

Kate Terroni, Interim Chief Executive, for the CQC said the body accepts in full the findings of the interim report.

“Many of these align with areas we have prioritised as part of our work to restore trust with the public and providers by listening better, working together more collaboratively and being honest about what we’ve got wrong.

“We are working at pace and in consultation with our stakeholders to rebuild that trust and become the strong, credible, and effective regulator of health and care services that the public and providers need and deserve.

“We’re increasing the number of people working in registration so we can improve waiting times. We’re working to fix and improve our provider portal, and this time we’ll be listening to providers and to our colleagues about the improvements that are needed and how we can design solutions together. We’ll be working with people who use services and providers to develop a shared definition of what good care looks like. And we’re also developing a new approach to relationship management that enables a closer and more consistent contact point for providers.”

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, said it is “going to be a long and difficult journey for CQC, but one that is entirely necessary.”

“CQC must embark on a radical improvement program that should not only include some tangible improvements in their performance, but also needs to move away from a culture of blame. We all want proportionate and effective regulation, and the challenge now is for CQC to take action and work with organisations across the sector to deliver it.”