CQC policy requirements for care homes
Residential care homes provide accommodation with personal care. CQC does not publish a fixed list of mandatory policies, but inspectors expect your policies to show how you meet the fundamental standards in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and that staff know and follow them.
Usual regulated activity: Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care
Policies every care home should have
- Safeguarding adults (and children, where relevant), including how to raise and escalate concerns
- Complaints handling, with timescales and how people can escalate outside the service
- Duty of candour (Regulation 20) and incident reporting
- Recruitment and fit and proper persons checks, including DBS (Regulation 19)
- Staff training, supervision and induction (Regulation 18)
- Consent and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (Regulation 11)
- Data protection, confidentiality and record keeping (Regulation 17)
- Whistleblowing / speaking up
- Equality, diversity and human rights
Care home specific areas
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications and reviews
- Medicines management in line with NICE guideline SC1 (managing medicines in care homes)
- Infection prevention and control, laundry and cleaning
- Falls prevention, moving and handling, and use of equipment
- Fire safety and personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs)
- Nutrition and hydration (Regulation 14)
- Visiting, admissions, and end of life care
- Premises, equipment and maintenance (Regulation 15)
How CQC looks at your policies
Under CQC's single assessment framework, evidence is grouped under five key questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Organising your library the same way makes it easier to show inspectors where each policy fits. Regulation 17 (good governance) expects you to keep policies current and to check they're followed, which is why a dated record of staff reading each version is useful evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Does CQC give care homes a list of required policies?
No. CQC assesses whether you meet the regulations. Policies are one of the main ways you evidence that, so they need to be current, specific to your home and understood by staff.
How often should care home policies be reviewed?
Most providers review each policy at least every 12 months, and sooner when legislation, guidance or your service changes.
Let MyCarePolicies keep this up to date for you
A managed policy library grouped by the five key questions, updated for you, with staff notified and proof they've read each version.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. MyCarePolicies is not affiliated with or endorsed by CQC. Other guides: Nursing homes, Domiciliary care, Supported living.