What inspectors look for
CQC inspections are structured around five key questions. Is the service Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-Led? Inspectors gather evidence through interviews, observations, and record reviews.
Your documentation in ACP is a primary source for most of those record reviews.
Having records in order before an inspection starts saves time and reduces risk.
More information on the CQC Assessment framework is available on their website.
Safe
Inspectors want to see that risks are identified and managed, that incidents are recorded and acted on, and that care is delivered as planned.
In ACP, you can evidence this through:
Completed risk assessments and care plans for each service user
Visit records showing care was delivered as scheduled
Incident and accident forms with outcome fields completed
Medication records and eMAR, showing administrations, refusals, and errors
Alerts and notifications showing the team responded to concerns
Effective
Inspectors look for evidence that care achieves good outcomes and follows best practice.
In ACP, you can evidence this through:
Activity completion records showing that care tasks were carried out
Medication administration records with accurate dose and timing logs
Assessment forms linked to care plans, showing needs-informed delivery
GP Connect records showing clinical information were accessed and used
Caring
Inspectors assess whether people are treated with dignity and whether their preferences are respected.
In ACP, you can evidence this through:
Care plan reviews that capture the person's own words and preferences
Visit notes that describe how care was delivered, not just that it was done
Smart Notes transcripts, when used, show the quality of care conversations
Personal profile records capturing background, preferences, and what matters to the person
Responsive
Inspectors look for evidence that the service adapts to changing needs.
In ACP, you can evidence this through:
The audit trail on care plans shows when and why changes were made
Review records linked to incidents or hospital admissions
Communication logs and family contact notes
The history of form submissions shows how assessments have evolved over time
Well-Led
Inspectors assess whether management has oversight of what is happening across the service.
In ACP, you can evidence this through:
Live View, showing real-time visit status across your service
Management reports covering visit completion, missed calls, and medication
User access logs showing who has reviewed or updated records
Workflows and task completion showing governance processes are followed
Before an inspection: what to prepare
When you receive notice of an inspection or want to prepare in advance, work through the following:
Run a care plan completion report and address any gaps
Check visit records for the past 12 weeks for unexplained missed or late calls
Review open incidents and confirm outcomes have been recorded
Export medication administration records for the period inspectors are likely to review
Pull a sample of visit notes across three or four service users to review quality
Confirm all staff records and training logs are up to date in your HR system
If you use Smart Notes, check that forms with voice recording enabled have transcripts saved against them.
These are available in the service user's History tab in ACP Web.