How to Register a Care Home with CQC

Opening a care home requires the provider, regulated activities, premises and management arrangements to be ready for a rigorous CQC registration assessment. Unlike a homecare office, the care-home location is where people will live and receive the regulated service.

The application should demonstrate that the building, staffing model, leadership, finances and care systems are suitable for the number of places and the needs of the residents the home intends to support.

1. Define the care-home model and registration scope

• Confirm the legal provider and whether the home will provide nursing care.
• Identify the correct regulated activities using CQC's scope guidance.
• Define age ranges, specialist needs and proposed number of beds or places.
• Check whether services for autistic people or people with a learning disability engage additional guidance and evidence.
• Reflect the same model in planning, commissioning, insurance and registration documents.

2. Make the premises registration-ready

CQC advises providers to apply only when premises are ready for any required visit. Suitability includes physical safety, privacy, accessibility, infection control, secure records and the needs of the intended residents.

• Hold valid evidence of legal occupancy and relevant permissions.
• Complete fire, environment and Legionella risk assessments and close required actions.
• Obtain current gas and electrical safety evidence.
• Prepare an accurate floor plan and confirm rooms, communal areas and equipment are suitable.
• Plan safe medicines storage, infection control, food safety and emergency arrangements.
• Check accessibility, privacy, dignity and safe evacuation for the client group.

3. Prepare current care-home supporting documents

CQC's service-specific supporting-document list includes premises evidence that is not normally part of a homecare application.

• Business continuity plan.
• Environment risk assessment.
• Evidence of legal occupancy.
• Fire risk assessment and floor plan.
• Gas and electrical safety certificates.
• Legionella risk assessment.
• Core provider documents and any specialist-service evidence that applies.

4. Demonstrate leadership, workforce and governance

• Appoint a registered manager with suitable residential-care experience and capacity.
• Model staffing around dependency, layout, nights, emergencies and planned activities.
• Prepare safer recruitment, induction, training, supervision and competency systems.
• Explain assessment, admission, care planning, clinical escalation and review.
• Set out safeguarding, medicines, nutrition, complaints and incident arrangements.
• Use audits and resident, relative and staff feedback to monitor and improve quality.

5. Run a pre-submission readiness review

1. 1Walk through the premises as a prospective resident, staff member and assessor.
2. 2Check that all safety certificates and risk actions are current and complete.
3. 3Reconcile bed numbers, resident groups, staffing and finance assumptions.
4. 4Compare the provider and manager forms with the statement of purpose and policies.
5. 5Practise leadership explanations using realistic care-home scenarios.
6. 6Submit only when the complete service is ready to begin if registration is granted.

Work through a CQC registration readiness review before you submit →