CQC registration document guidance

Consent Policy and Procedures

Your Consent Policy and Procedure should show how your service will obtain, record and respect consent, and how you will act when someone refuses consent or may lack capacity.

Why this matters for your registration

  • •Consent is central to person-centred care and lawful practice.
  • •CQC expects providers to show they understand Regulation 11 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
  • •The policy should show how people will be supported to make informed decisions.

What you should prepare

  • •How and when consent will be obtained, reviewed and recorded.
  • •How informed consent will be supported through accessible information.
  • •What happens when consent is refused or withdrawn.
  • •How mental capacity assessments and best-interest decisions will be handled.
  • •How advocacy, powers of attorney, deputies and least restrictive practice will be considered.

Before you submit

  • •Treat consent as an ongoing process, not a one-off form.
  • •Make sure the Mental Capacity Act principles are built into the policy.
  • •Explain clearly how records will be kept for consent, refusal and best-interest decisions.
  • •Keep the policy aligned with safeguarding, medicines and care planning documents.