Achieving an Outstanding caring rating speaks to the heart of your business — care is what you do, it forms the cornerstone of your reputation. To make sure your care is nothing less than outstanding, a mock CQC inspection with one of our highly-trained inspectors will help you identify opportunities for improvement before the CQC comes calling.

In this series of blogs, we’re looking at the requirements for each of the CQC’s key lines of enquiry (KLOE). So, what does the CQC mean by caring? Well, it’s defined as how your service treats people. Specifically, are they treated with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect?

Let’s take a closer look at the 3 prompts used to assess this KLOE.

1. How does the service ensure people are treated with kindness, respect and compassion, and given the required level of emotional support? 

Here the CQC wants to see evidence of a person-centred culture. Start by looking at your staff. You should be hiring people who demonstrate strong compassion and genuinely care about your service users. 

Present documents that show you have open and honest conversations with service users and their families, that care plans are tailored to meet not just needs but also the wishes of every individual, and that service users and their families have copies of these documents. 

A great way of showing you go the extra mile is by making an effort to match carers and service users based on personalities, likes and dislikes, and cultural backgrounds. This can make an immeasurable difference to a person’s quality of life. 

Finally, staff should know when to provide extra support, for example, providing documents in large print or braille. 

2. Are service users supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their own care and treatment as far as possible?

The 3 biggest factors in being outstanding here are time, communication and education. Your rota should be organised to ensure carers are not rushing between service users but have enough time to listen to any concerns they or their families have, to answer questions, provide information and point them in the direction of other support services if required.

Successful care providers demonstrate creativity in helping people express their views and requirements, which includes being proficient in relevant technologies. Carers should work well with advocates to ensure service users get the support they need if external resources are required, and they should handle this with care and sensitivity.

You should have processes in place to skilfully resolve any conflicts or tensions that might arise in relation to a service user’s wishes, and ensure all parties are supported throughout the process. 

 3. How does the care provider respect and promote an individual’s privacy, dignity and independence?

Outstanding care providers prioritise treating people with respect and dignity. From listening to staff feedback through to recognising distress and discomfort in service users as soon as possible. This demonstrates that your team is sensitive and caring.

Your privacy policies should be in line with the latest equality, diversity and human rights regulations, and as far as possible service users should be able to decide who provides their care, what level of care they receive and how often. Make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of the needs and rights of young adults who are transitioning from services for young people and that their families are involved in their transfer.

Interested in a mock CQC inspection?

If you’d like more advice on how to prepare for a CQC inspection or to learn more about our mock CQC inspection service, call our expert team on 0333 444 5344 or email info@careskilled.co.uk for more information.