Understanding the CQC’s Single Assessment Framework

The CQC’s Single Assessment Framework brings every type of regulated provider under one consistent set of standards, built around the same five key questions it has used for years: is a service safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led?

Underneath those five questions sit a set of quality statements – specific, evidenced commitments a provider makes about how it delivers care. Rather than a single annual inspection producing one rating, assessment is intended to be more continuous, drawing on a wider range of evidence between full inspections.

In practice, the most useful preparation is keeping evidence for each quality statement up to date as you go, rather than assembling it retrospectively when a visit is announced.

Last updated: 19 August 2026