Are the CQC Still Doing Inspections in 2025?

If you're a healthcare provider wondering whether the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is still conducting inspections in 2025 - the short answer is yes. Inspections are very much ongoing. However, they look quite different to how they did a few years ago.

In 2024, the CQC began rolling out its new Single Assessment Framework, which has reshaped how health and social care providers are regulated and inspected.

So, what’s changed and what should you expect?

CQC inspections have not been paused or phased out. In fact, the CQC now uses a rolling assessment model to monitor services continuously. This can include virtual interviews, feedback from people using services, staff surveys, off-site evidence reviews, and risk-based assessments. Physical inspections still happen, but they’re no longer the only way the CQC gathers evidence.

Previously, the CQC used three separate frameworks for hospitals, adult social care, and GP practices. In 2024, these were replaced with a unified model - the Single Assessment Framework (SAF). This new system ensures consistency across different types of providers, using one set of expectations to define ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ care.

At its core, the framework still revolves around the CQC’s five key questions: Is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led? What’s changed is how the CQC assesses providers against these questions.

Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) and their prompts are now retired. Instead, providers are measured against a new set of Quality Statements, which outline what good care looks like across a range of topics. Evidence is gathered under six categories, such as feedback from people and partners, care outcomes, observations, and processes. This allows for a much richer and up-to-date picture of quality and performance.

Another welcome change is the move towards quicker inspection reports. Historically, providers have waited weeks or even months for outcomes. Now, with a more streamlined system and shorter reports, the CQC is aiming to provide a more timely view of quality and safety.

Key Takeaways

• The CQC is still running in-person inspections throughout 2025.

• The new CQC approach is more flexible, frequent, and evidence-based—but it also puts a greater responsibility on providers to be prepared year-round.

• For providers, now is the time to get familiar with the Single Assessment Framework, assess your gaps, and build a strong evidence base that reflects your commitment to quality.