CQC registration document guidance

Governance and Quality Assurance Policies

Governance and Quality Assurance Policies should show how your organisation will be managed, how accountability will work and how you will monitor and improve the quality and safety of your service.

Why this matters for your registration

  • •CQC wants to see that your service will be well-led, safe and capable of continuous improvement.
  • •Your governance systems should do more than hold policies on paper — they should show how you will check whether those systems are working.
  • •These arrangements help demonstrate compliance with Regulation 17: Good Governance.

What you should prepare

  • •A clear explanation of leadership roles, responsibilities and accountability.
  • •An organisational structure chart showing how your service will actually operate.
  • •How you will monitor quality, safety, risks, incidents and service performance.
  • •Relevant audit systems such as records, medicines, safeguarding, recruitment, complaints or training audits.
  • •How feedback will be collected, reviewed and turned into improvements.
  • •How records will be maintained, stored, protected and managed in line with data protection requirements.

Before you submit

  • •Make sure the governance structure reflects your real organisation and not a generic template.
  • •Include a structure chart that is consistent with the rest of your application.
  • •Show clearly what happens when audits, feedback or incidents identify a problem.
  • •Keep governance linked with complaints, safeguarding, recruitment, training and risk management arrangements.

Need help?

Support with your CQC documents

We can help you prepare Governance and Quality Assurance Policies that connect your audits, quality checks, feedback and improvement systems clearly.

View registration support →Ask a question