By Philippa Doyle | October 23, 2025
Last Updated on October 24, 2025
In this blog series, Philippa Doyle, Head of Social Care at Hempsons, answers the most common questions providers ask when dealing with the CQC. This time, Philippa answers: How can services that have had regulatory breaches during an inspection, evidence that strategies have been implemented to address them upon reinspection?
CQC is always looking for embedded practice and sustained improvement. CQC does not want to see a provider ‘throw money’ at a service, without key changes in governance and delivery of care. Here are some strategies for addressing previous regulatory breaches and sustaining excellence.
Back to basics
Returning to fundamental principles is essential when supporting services following regulatory breaches. This means ensuring that every team member, from senior leaders to front-line staff, understands the underpinning regulations and standards that form the bedrock of high-quality care. Investing in comprehensive training on the fundamental standards ensures all staff are aware of the minimum requirements set by CQC. Regular refresher courses, scenario-based learning and team discussions help embed these standards in daily practice, ensuring care is consistently safe, effective and responsive.
Preparation for CQC visits should be undertaken by exploring the quality statements
Preparation is not just about compliance but about genuine improvement. Use the quality statements as a self-assessment tool, asking staff to reflect on how each statement is demonstrated in their setting. The Hempsons and Care England toolkit and training offers structured resources that break down each of the 34 statements, providing actionable guidance for meeting and evidencing compliance. The quality statements toolkit and fundamental standards training can help identify areas for further development and build staff confidence ahead of a CQC visit.
Action plans
A robust action plan is the cornerstone of any improvement strategy, particularly after regulatory breaches have been identified. The most effective plans are SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely – with accountability embedded throughout. .Setting short, realistic deadlines for specific actions keeps momentum high and allows progress to be measured frequently. Regular check-ins ensure nothing slips through the cracks and give leaders the opportunity to provide support or reallocate resources if progress stalls.
Focus on key areas a month at a time
Rather than overwhelming teams with multiple simultaneous objectives, concentrate on one or two priority areas each month. This targeted approach allows for deeper analysis, more meaningful change and a greater sense of achievement as milestones are reached.
Do not try to fix everything in one go
Attempting to address all issues at once can lead to burnout and superficial changes. By phasing improvements and communicating a clear sequence of priorities, teams can maintain energy and enthusiasm, embedding change more effectively over time.
Use the quality statements and the quality statements toolkit to make that happen – by taking one or two quality statements each month, a service can focus on key areas throughout the year and show sustained improvement and a commitment to learning and development.
Business as usual
Sustained improvement is only possible when excellent practice becomes an everyday norm, not just a response to inspection or external scrutiny. Always work on improvement every day. Preparing for inspection and gathering information and good news stories every day changes a culture of an organisation so that, when CQC calls, there is less panic. Embedding a culture of continuous improvement means staff feel empowered to identify and address issues as they arise, rather than waiting for formal audits. Leaders must encourage open dialogue, reflective practice and a willingness to adapt.
Capture good work and address inconsistencies
Develop simple mechanisms for recording and sharing examples of excellent care, whether through daily huddles, staff newsletters or digital noticeboards. Celebrating successes boosts morale and provides real-world evidence for future inspections. In addition, use data, feedback and incident reports to spot patterns or recurring issues. Promptly addressing inconsistencies ensures small problems do not escalate and demonstrates a proactive approach to risk management.
Embed good practice
Before staff leave at the end of each day, get them to write down one positive where they have made a difference to someone your service supports. Refection on good practice gives staff a sense of achievement and enables them to gather good news stories to report to CQC, rather than always focusing on the hard aspects of the job when asked for feedback.
Navigating the CQC: A toolkit for social care providers
Hempsons has partnered with Care England to develop a comprehensive toolkit and training that thoroughly analyses each of the 34 quality statements in the single assessment framework. The toolkit has been created by Head of Social Care at Hempsons, Philippa Doyle, whose invaluable experience with CQC equips her with a profound understanding of the regulator’s inner workings and processes. Find out more.
CMM’s CQC resource page
Sponsored by Hempsons, this resource page is a one-stop shop for care providers’ regulatory needs. For breaking news, newly published guidance, informative blog posts, a monthly column from the regulator, advice on preparing for an inspection and more, click here.