Pre-inspection audit

Importance of measuring your care home against CQC Standards.

One of the most stressful aspects of running a social care company, is dealing with CQC Inspections. Before a CQC visit, if you do not evaluate your care home in the same way as CQC does, how will you know what rating you are going to get on your next CQC inspection? Any breach of CQC regulations may result in a red or amber report, which may negatively affect the running of your business. Not auditing your service provision before an actual CQC inspection is not worth the risk. Our team of expert CQC compliance consultants have the up-to-date knowledge and experience to support you and your staff. Ensuring your services meet the fundamental standards and therefore eliminating the element of surprise on the actual inspection day.

Is the pre-inspection audit a disruptive service?

Not at all. We will not be disrupting your service delivery in any way. All your staff can carry on with daily routines. We might interview them during times when they are less busy. The Residents’ needs are always treated as a priority.

When do I need a pre-inspection audit?

Not at all. We will not be disrupting your service delivery in any way. All your staff can carry on with daily routines. We might interview them during times when they are less busy. The Residents’ needs are always treated as a priority.

  • Rectifying CQC inspection offences or enforcement notices.
  • Preparation for an upcoming inspection (including the Transitional Monitoring Approach).
  • Starting a new service offering.
  • Ensuring your practice fit-outs are compliant.

Common compliance factors affecting providers agencies during Inspections.


  • Good at providing care but poor at evidencing it.
  • Lack of investment in quality protocols which demonstrate compliance.
  • Policy in paper and not in practice.
  • Quality protocols are in place, but data is not used to improve services.
  • Training, learning and mentoring is in place but not adequately evidenced. For example, only face to face training is evidenced and sometimes without specific learning outcomes/ details relevant to role.
  • No clear audit trail linking strategic goals to deliverable actions.
  • Poor systems in place for the recruitment and retention of staff.
  • Disproportionate focus on profitability over client outcomes.
  • Staff team, completely unaware of what KLOEs are and how their day-to-day work is relevant to these.

Our team of compliance experts carry out focused audits on the following:

  • Policies and procedures.
  • Health and safety.
  • Detailed care plan auditing.
  • HR paper works.
  • Medication management.
  • COVID-19 infection control precautions.
  • As needed.

Some benefits of carrying out a pre inspection audit

  • Offer an opportunity to evaluate your service provision against actual standards.
  • Are measured against the same standards used by CQC, including the ‘The Key Lines of Enquiry’ (KLOES) and Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well led.
  • Offer detailed feedback provided from a different perspective.
  • Provide space to take a step back, reflect and review.
  • Provide specific action plans for improvements.
  • Support your team’s growth, knowledge and confidence.
  • May highlight actions for specific team members that inspectors may talk to.
  • May prepare service users as inspectors may also target them.

Our process

We have a simple and easy to follow step-by-step process and our professional consultants will explain and guide you through the process, making it easy for you to follow.


1. Information Gathering

You complete a detailed questionnaire to help us have a clear understanding of your specific business requirements.


2. Audit Preparation Checklist

We review the specific needs of the practice and issue a bespoke audit preparation checklist.


3. On-site / Online Audit.

We will undertake a thorough on-site evaluation of the practice as part of the inspection audit. This includes an appraisal of your practice policies, audits, risk assessments, decontamination room compliance, patient safety checks, interview readiness of your team, information governance and clinical governance protocols as well as recruitment and induction checks. More recently, we now include within our audit the review of your COVID-19 safe working practices.
Please note that the inspection audit can also be performed online via Skype / Zoom.


4. Audit Report

After the audit visit, we will develop and issue you with an outcome report which provides a detailed best practice gap analysis of where your practice is demonstrating compliance and best practice recommendations where improvements are required.