Your CQC rating is a major consideration for service users when they’re choosing a care provider. A mock CQC inspection carried out by one of our experts will help take you from Good to Outstanding so you can stand out from the crowd.

In this blog, we’ll look at how to prepare for a CQC inspection with a focus on the effective KLOE. There are 7 questions in this category, designed to rate how effective you are at providing care that delivers good outcomes and a high quality of life.

Let’s jump straight in with number one:

1. Is care delivered in line with the latest legislation, evidence-based guidance and standards to achieve the best outcomes?

The CQC wants to see that you’re up-to-date with the latest research and development and that staff are highly trained to follow best practices and collaborate well with other agencies.

Your approach to care should be truly holistic and have a good mix of evidence-based approaches and innovative techniques to deliver high-quality care.

2. How are you training staff to deliver effective care and support?

Demonstrate that your staff are highly skilled and receive ongoing training. Recruitment should be influenced by feedback from service users, their families, and other members of staff to make sure you have insight into the right people for the job.

Learning should be tailored to suit the learning style of your staff and you must have a proactive support and appraisal system in place.

3. How are you supporting service users to make sure they eat and drink properly and can maintain a balanced diet?

Outstanding organisations place a strong emphasis on the importance of eating and drinking well, including consulting dietitians and other professionals and implementing their advice.

It should go without saying that you serve a variety of food to suit specialist requirements, such as soft diets or religious and cultural beliefs, and that meals are well presented. Creativity is rewarded, for example by using food in celebrations.

4. How do staff work together across the organisation to give service users effective care, support and treatment?

Show the inspector that you’re well organised and coordinate your teams with consideration for people’s individual circumstances and preferences. Staff should be committed to working well together and understand that delivering the best care and support to service users is a team effort.

5. Do service users have access to healthcare services and are they encouraged to live healthier lifestyles?

To be Outstanding here, you need champions within your organisation who empower people to make healthy choices. There are also accreditations you can achieve to demonstrate your ongoing commitment to better outcomes.

Your staff should seek to improve care for service users who have complex needs in line with best practices, and you should have excellent relationships with social and care services.

6. How is your premises adapted to meet service users’ needs?

Particularly important for care homes, your premises needs to be safe and adapted to help service users get around as independently as possible. Show the inspector equipment and technologies you’ve put in place to support this.

To go the extra mile, demonstrate that service users have been actively involved in decisions around decorating or furnishing the home. Dedicated areas for different activities are a must, including private places for service users to spend time with their visitors or alone.

7. Do you follow legal guidance and legislation when it comes to getting service users’ consent for care?

You should have stringent procedures in place to skillfully navigate getting service users’ consent to deliver care, even when impairment may make that difficult. But you also need a flexible approach to any restrictions you place on service users.

Use powers to restrict freedom only when necessary and regularly review this. Make sure all the necessary stakeholders are involved in decision making, and that there are nominated champions within the organisation for mental capacity, restraint and consent.

Staff must be fully educated and have a comprehensive understanding of the legislation around mental capacity and deprivation of liberty.

The effective KLOE covers a wide variety of areas, and if you have any doubt about meeting the CQC’s expectations for any of them, a mock CQC inspection can help you face the real thing with confidence.

Call our expert team on 0333 444 5344 or email info@careskilled.co.uk for more information on getting a mock CQC inspection.