What is CQC Registration & How Does it Work?

Anyone who provides a care service in England must be registered with the CQC. If a care provider has not registered, they may have committed an offence.

When registering with the CQC, an application must be made directly with them which includes the details of all regulated activities or services that will be provided and where it is located. The application is then assessed and granted on the basis that they are happy that the service complies with all requirements of the relevant legislation and regulations.

What is a regulated activity?

Regulated activities are all health and social care services that are regulated by the CQC. During registration, it is the responsibility of the applicant to determine and outline all of the regulated activities that their service will provide.

In total there are 14 regulated activities, however there may be exemptions in some cases. Fortunately, the CQC provide full explanations of each regulated activity within their Scope of Registration document.

What is a provider?

A provider is defined as any legal entity that carries out any kind of regulated activity. The CQC recognises three different types of provider, these are:

• Individuals
• Partnerships
• Organisations

During registration, it must be clearly stated which type of provider the application is for.

Individuals

These are people who are carrying out regulated activities themselves. An individual should register in their own name and are directly responsible for the regulated activities that they carry out.

Partnerships

A partnership exists when two or more individuals provide a regulated activity together. In this instance, it is the partnership that must register with the CQC (including all partners who are involved). Responsibility for ensuring that all the undertaken activities meet the requirements falls on the partnership as a whole, as well as each individual partner. Partnerships cannot include partnerships of organisations and must be made up of individuals.

Organisations

The CQC considers an organisation as one of five things:

• Local authorities
• NHS trusts
• Registered companies or charities
• Limited liability partnerships (LLP)
• Other corporate bodies

When registering an organisation with the CQC, it is the organisation itself that is registered and not the individuals involved – unlike partnerships and individuals.