CQC Standards for Domiciliary Care: The Complete 2026 Guide
"CQC standards" is a phrase used loosely across the sector — sometimes meaning the legal fundamental standards, sometimes the five key questions, sometimes the quality statements under the Single Assessment Framework. For domiciliary care providers, understanding exactly which standards apply, and what good evidence looks like in a home care setting specifically, is essential to staying compliant and inspection-ready.
This guide brings all three together in plain English, with a specific focus on what each standard means when care is delivered in someone's own home rather than a single building. Pair this with our guide to what to expect during a domiciliary care inspection for the practical side.
The Legal Foundation: Fundamental Standards
The fundamental standards are set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. These are the legal minimum every registered domiciliary care agency must meet — falling below them is not just a poor inspection outcome, it can be a breach of the law.
The standards most frequently tested in domiciliary care inspections include:
- Regulation 9 — Person-centred care: care and treatment must be tailored to the individual and reflect their needs and preferences
- Regulation 11 — Need for consent: care must not be given without valid consent
- Regulation 12 — Safe care and treatment: covers medication, risk assessment, infection control and lone worker safety
- Regulation 13 — Safeguarding: protecting people from abuse and improper treatment
- Regulation 17 — Good governance: systems and processes to assess, monitor and improve quality
- Regulation 18 — Staffing: sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, trained and supervised staff
- Regulation 19 — Fit and proper persons employed: proper recruitment checks, including DBS
- Regulation 20A — Duty of candour and display of ratings: your current rating must be displayed at your office, on your website, and in materials sent to new clients
Displaying an expired or incorrect CQC rating isn't a minor oversight — it's a breach of Regulation 20A in its own right, separate from whatever your actual rating is.
The Five Key Questions
Every CQC inspection, regardless of framework version, is structured around five key questions. These sit above the fundamental standards as the organising structure inspectors use to reach an overall judgement and rating.
| Key Question | What It Means for Domiciliary Care |
|---|---|
| Safe | Lone worker safety, medication management, safeguarding, risk assessment, call monitoring |
| Effective | Care plans based on assessed need, staff competency, working with other agencies |
| Caring | Dignity, respect, involvement of people and families in decisions about their care |
| Responsive | Punctuality and consistency of visits, complaints handling, person-centred adjustments |
| Well-led | Governance and oversight of a geographically dispersed service, quality assurance systems |
Quality Statements Under the Single Assessment Framework
Since the introduction of the Single Assessment Framework, CQC has expressed the fundamental standards through 34 Quality Statements — each one a "We statement" describing what good care looks like from the perspective of the provider (e.g. "We assess and manage risks to people's safety"). For domiciliary care, evidence against these statements is drawn from a mix of remote interviews, document review, and — for a full inspection — a small number of visits to people's homes.
CQC is moving from the 34 shared Quality Statements to 24 sector-specific Key Lines of Enquiry, including a dedicated adult social care framework. The five key questions are staying the same. Rollout is expected toward the end of 2026, and the current framework remains fully in force until then. Read our full framework guide for the complete breakdown.
What Good Evidence Looks Like in Domiciliary Care
Because CQC can't simply walk around a building to observe standards being met, domiciliary care agencies need to think deliberately about how they evidence compliance remotely and through documentation. Strong evidence typically includes:
- Electronic or clearly maintained call monitoring records showing visit timing and duration
- Care plans that are visibly person-centred, current, and involve the person and their family
- A lone worker policy that staff can describe accurately, not just recite
- Medication audit trails with evidence of action taken on any errors identified
- Spot checks and supervisions of care workers carried out in clients' own homes, not just in the office
- A complaints log showing evidence of how feedback changed practice
Common Gaps Between Standards and Practice
The most frequent gap CQC finds in domiciliary care isn't a lack of policies — most agencies have comprehensive policy documents. The gap is between what's written and what actually happens day to day, and specifically whether the registered manager can demonstrate real oversight of a service that, by its nature, happens outside a single building they can walk through.
✅ Domiciliary Care Standards Self-Check
- Current CQC rating displayed at office, on website, and in client materials
- Lone worker policy staff can explain in their own words
- Call monitoring system actively used and reviewed, not just recording data
- Medication audits carried out monthly with documented follow-up actions
- Care plans person-centred, current, and reflect service user involvement
- DBS and right-to-work checks complete for every staff file
- Safeguarding policy understood and applied, referral made before internal investigation
- Registered manager can evidence oversight beyond office-based processes
- Complaints log up to date with clear evidence of action taken
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the CQC standards for domiciliary care?
Domiciliary care agencies must meet the fundamental standards set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, assessed by CQC against five key questions — Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led — and currently expressed through 34 Quality Statements under the Single Assessment Framework.
Are the standards different for domiciliary care compared to care homes?
The underlying fundamental standards and five key questions are the same across all regulated adult social care services. What differs is how compliance is evidenced and assessed — domiciliary care relies more heavily on remote interviews, call monitoring data, and document review, since inspectors can't simply observe a single premises.
What happens if a domiciliary care agency falls below the fundamental standards?
CQC can take enforcement action ranging from a requirement notice through to warning notices, and in serious cases, suspending or cancelling registration. Falling below a fundamental standard is a breach of the law, not just a poor inspection outcome.
How is Well-led assessed for a service with no single premises?
Inspectors look for evidence of active, ongoing oversight — spot checks and supervisions carried out in clients' homes, analysis of call monitoring and medication audit data over time, and a registered manager who can clearly demonstrate they understand the reality of care being delivered, not just the paperwork describing it.
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