Last Updated on April 15, 2026
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published new details of its updated regulatory approach to assessing local authorities. According to CQC, this guidance is intended to support local authorities to understand how they will continue to be assessed against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act (2014). The updated approach has been developed using learning from baselining and feedback and input from partners and stakeholders to refine and improve the assessment process.
CQC stated that it will continue to assess local authorities using the nine quality statements across four themes. The quality statements are now underpinned by rating characteristics which describe what care and support, and governance and leadership might look like for each quality statement across each judgement level in the assessment framework. In response to learning and feedback, CQC highlighted that it will now give more emphasis and prominence to issues relating to unpaid carers in its assessment activity, judgements and reporting.
Furthermore, CQC outlined how its updated approach is more flexible as the regulator can undertake different types of assessments in different circumstances. This includes comprehensive and focused assessments. CQC will also undertake activity using its independent voice to share insights on patterns and themes in people’s experiences, quality issues and good practice in adult social care.
In addition, CQC is introducing regular Local Authority Assurance Meetings to help it to understand the context in which each local authority is discharging its adult social care duties and the impact on the experiences and outcomes for people, including unpaid carers.
Moreover, CQC's update stressed that following learning and feedback, it has updated the information return which it will send to individual local authorities at the start of the comprehensive assessment process. CQC claimed that it has also improved its case tracking process and is introducing case sampling after piloting this during baselining programme.
CQC's update concluded that it will continue to develop tools and processes in partnership with partners and stakeholders. This includes the regulator's communication during and post site visits, its quality assurance and factual accuracy processes, and its reporting template. CQC will publish updates on these when they are complete.
CQC will be starting to issue the first notifications and information returns to local authorities later in Spring. Visit CQC's website for the latest information.
In other news, The King’s Fund’s annual Social Care 360 report has been published, finding an increase in adult social care spending on provider fees.