Consultation closed — 95% of providers backed it. Final frameworks land this summer, in force by end of 2026. Your service is judged on connected evidence.
THE 2026 CQC FRAMEWORK UPDATES
Same questions, new proof
Under “Better regulation, better care”, the five key questions stay. What changes is what you must prove, and how.
WHAT CHANGES
1
The 34 quality statements become ~24 KLOEs.
2
Scoring is gone — ratings are a judgement.
3
Each rating is defined, per sector.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR SERVICE
1
Your evidence now maps to new questions.
2
No percentage to optimise. Your evidence is weighed in the round.
3
The bar is published. Your evidence matches it, or it does not.
Why connected evidence is the new bar
CQC will judge evidence in the round, across the whole key question. A disconnected filing cabinet cannot answer that.
“Show me how you spotted that risk, what you did about it, and what changed downstream.”
