Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission is the independent statutory regulator of health and adult social care in England, rating and inspecting care homes, hospitals, GPs, dentists, mental health, homecare, and community services, and now assessing Integrated Care Systems and local authorities under the Health and Care Act 2022.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Care Quality Commission does
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, established in 2009 under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. It is a non-departmental public body funded through UK parliamentary supply, with statutory powers to register, inspect, rate, and enforce standards across care homes, NHS and independent hospitals, dental services, GP surgeries, mental health services, homecare agencies, and community health providers. Its remit was materially expanded by the Health and Care Act 2022 to include assessment of Integrated Care Systems and English local authorities' delivery of adult social care responsibilities under the Care Act 2014.
CQC operates a digital regulatory platform built around four core product surfaces: a public Service Search and Comparison Portal with published inspection reports and a four-point rating scale (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate); a Provider Portal for registration, statutory notifications, and regulatory communications; a Give Feedback on Care mechanism for public concerns; and an internal Data and Insight Unit running an Enterprise Data Platform that ingests NHS Digital datasets (HES, community health, mental health, mortality, Mental Health Act data) alongside mandatory provider notifications to drive risk-based regulation. The 2021 Single Assessment Framework replaced fixed on-site inspection cycles with ongoing, multi-method assessment, and the organisation is targeting completion of over 9,000 assessments by end of September 2026.
CQC's business model is non-commercial: it does not charge the public for regulatory services and operates under government mandate rather than market competition. The organisation employs approximately 3,066 staff (as of 31 March 2022), is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne with offices across England, and is currently undergoing leadership and structural change - Emily Miles was appointed Chief Executive on 16 July 2026, the Operations and Regulatory Leadership directorates are being merged under four Chief Inspectors, and the organisation has explicitly framed its current phase as 'rebuilding foundations' following an externally commissioned operational effectiveness review.
Care Quality Commission firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Care Quality Commission
- Legal name
- Care Quality Commission
- Website
- https://cqc.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- The Care Quality Commission is the independent statutory regulator of health and adult social care in England, rating and inspecting care homes, hospitals, GPs, dentists, mental health, homecare, and community services, and now assessing Integrated Care Systems and local authorities under the Health and Care Act 2022.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Care Quality Commission industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Health and Social Care Regulation
- NAICS
- Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)
- SIC
- Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Healthcare Quality & Patient Safety Regulators (HLAJACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Healthcare Compliance & Enforcement Authorities (HLAJACAB), Regulatory Compliance, Licensing & Enforcement (Public Health) (HLAJAMAE)
Keywords
Where Care Quality Commission is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Care Quality Commission business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding: CQC is a non-departmental public body funded by the UK Government through parliamentary supply. As the independent regulator established by the Health and Social Care Act 2008, it does not generate commercial revenue but operates under government mandate to protect and promote the health, safety and welfare of people using health and social care services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Care Quality Commission product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, established under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. It registers, inspects, and rates providers across care homes, hospitals, dental services, GP practices, mental health services, homecare agencies, and community services, publishing inspection reports and ratings on a four-point scale (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate). It also assesses local authorities and integrated care systems, processes statutory notifications and whistleblower disclosures, and takes enforcement action to protect people using regulated services.
Product overview
Care Quality Commission operates a unified regulatory platform providing public access to health and social care service information. The core offering combines a Service Search and Comparison Portal with Inspection Reports and Ratings, enabling the public to find, compare, and assess care providers. Supporting products include a Provider Portal for registration and notifications, a Give Feedback on Care mechanism for public concerns, the annual State of Care Report for national oversight, and a Notifications System for statutory reporting. Additional capabilities include a Data and Insight Unit leveraging advanced analytics, information on AI in health and social care, and a CQC Widget for providers to embed ratings externally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Service Search and Comparison Portal Public-facing web portal enabling users to search for and compare regulated health and social care services across England, with each listing showing the latest inspection report and quality rating.
- Inspection Reports and Ratings System Regulatory system that publishes inspection findings and quality ratings on a four-point scale (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate) covering safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness, and leadership for each regulated service.
- Provider Portal Secure online portal for registered providers to submit statutory notifications, update registration details, access assessment information, and communicate with CQC.
- Give Feedback on Care Public-facing channel for sharing experiences of health and social care services and reporting concerns about care quality, unregistered services, or safety issues.
- State of Care Annual Report Annual national overview publication assessing the quality of health and adult social care in England, identifying trends, examples of good practice, and areas requiring improvement.
- Provider Registration System Statutory registration system for health and adult social care providers to carry on regulated activities, including application processing, DBS checks, and maintenance of the public register of providers and managers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15,919 qualifying disclosures processed from workers in 2023/24, informing regulatory risk assessment
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Care Quality Commission
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Care Quality Commission technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Care Quality Commission partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- National Guardian's Office (NGO) - TransitionmajorUntil 30 June 2026, CQC hosted the National Guardian's Office for the Freedom to Speak Up. From 1 July 2026, CQC will continue to securely hold personal data contained in NGO records for lawful and necessary purposes including handling complaints, statutory information access requests, audit, and supporting Public Inquiries.
- NHS DigitalcoreCQC receives comprehensive health data from NHS Digital including community health data, emergency care data, Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), maternity data, mental health services data, and ONS mortality data. This data enables CQC to monitor quality of care, compare death rates, identify infection rates, and check appropriate use of the Mental Health Act.
- Healthwatch EnglandcoreHealthwatch England is hosted by CQC and follows the same rules and policies on processing personal data. Healthwatch represents the consumer champion for health and social care, working alongside CQC's regulatory functions.
- Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI)coreMNSI programme is hosted by CQC and follows the same rules and policies on processing personal data. MNSI conducts independent investigations into serious cases of harm to mothers and babies.
- Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)coreDHSC is CQC's sponsor department. CQC shares information with DHSC for monitoring purposes and alignment with government priorities including the 10 Year Health Plan. DHSC commissioned the review by Dr Penny Dash into CQC's operational effectiveness.
- Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA)coreCQC shares information with GIAA as part of government audit and assurance processes to ensure CQC is working effectively.
- Experts by ExperiencecoreExperts by Experience are people who work with CQC inspection teams and have direct experience of health and social care services. They bring lived experience to inspections and help gather perspectives from people who use services.
- Mental Health Act ReviewerscoreMental Health Act Reviewers work with CQC inspection teams to review cases where people's rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act, ensuring proper safeguards are in place.
- Specialist AdvisorscoreSpecialist Advisors are not employees of CQC but work with inspection teams to provide expert clinical and professional input during assessments of health and social care services.
- The King's FundmajorCQC has worked with The King's Fund on its regulatory model, including collaboration on understanding effective regulation and system-focused engagement approaches.
- Alliance Manchester Business School (University of Manchester)majorCommissioned research on CQC's impact on quality of care, evaluating the relationship between CQC's regulatory approach and improvement in health and social care quality. Also conducted rapid literature review on effective regulation.
- National VoicesmajorCQC commissioned research from National Voices into people's experience of hospital discharge processes, informing understanding of patient journeys and system integration.
- NHS Race and Health ObservatorymajorCQC joined 8 other national health and social care regulators in signing up to shared principles for advancing workforce race equity in health and social care.
- Local AuthoritiescoreCQC works with local authorities for safeguarding referrals, coordination on care concerns, and assessment of local authority performance in adult social care under the Care Act 2014.
- PolicecoreCQC may share confidential personal information with police when necessary to protect people from harm or when a crime has been committed.
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)coreCQC may make referrals to DBS or professional regulators when fitness concerns are identified about registered persons or staff at care services.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Care Quality Commission competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Care Inspectorate (Scotland): Statutory regulator of care services in Scotland with a comparable inspection, rating and registration model. Highly comparable to CQC in function but operates in a separate UK jurisdiction with no overlap in regulated providers.
- Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW): Independent Welsh government inspectorate and regulator of healthcare and independent healthcare providers. Directly comparable mandate (inspection, review, registration) to CQC but limited to Wales.
- Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA): Northern Ireland's health and social care regulation body, responsible for inspecting and reviewing the quality and availability of health and social care services. Closest functional analogue to CQC within the UK family.
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland: Scottish organisation with overlapping scrutiny, improvement and inspection functions across health and social care. Comparable in regulatory philosophy and methodology, though scoped to Scotland.
Broad incumbents
- NHS England: Oversees performance of NHS providers and works closely with CQC on system-level quality oversight. Operates an overlapping but distinct quality-assurance role for NHS-funded services in England.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE): UK regulator for workplace health and safety, including in healthcare settings. Comparable as a UK-wide statutory enforcement body with inspection and prosecution powers relevant to care environments.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA): UK regulator of medicines, medical devices and blood components. Comparable as a UK government health regulator with statutory enforcement powers, though focused on products rather than service providers.
Direct peers
- General Medical Council (GMC): UK-wide statutory regulator of doctors, with parallel registration, fitness-to-practise, and revalidation functions. Comparable as a health professional regulator that CQC works alongside on workforce and fitness concerns.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC): UK statutory regulator for nurses and midwives, with similar registration and fitness-to-practise powers. A natural regulatory peer to CQC for the workforce dimension of regulated care services.
Others
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): UK body that processes criminal record checks and barred-list referrals. CQC makes referrals to DBS for fitness concerns, making it an adjacent enforcement ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Care Quality Commission social profiles
Digital presenceCare Quality Commission financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Care Quality Commission leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Care Quality Commission subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Care Quality Commission funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Care Quality Commission M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Care Quality Commission
What does Care Quality Commission do?
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, established under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. It registers, inspects, and rates providers across care homes, hospitals, dental services, GP practices, mental health services, homecare agencies, and community services, publishing inspection reports and ratings on a four-point scale (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate). It also assesses local authorities and integrated care systems, processes statutory notifications and whistleblower disclosures, and takes enforcement action to protect people using regulated services.
Is Care Quality Commission a public or private company?
Care Quality Commission is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Care Quality Commission founded?
Care Quality Commission was founded in 2009. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Care Quality Commission based?
Care Quality Commission is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Care Quality Commission make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding.
Who are Care Quality Commission's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Care Inspectorate (Scotland), Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW), Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Broad incumbents are NHS England, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Direct peers are General Medical Council (GMC) and Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is listed as an others.
Does Care Quality Commission have an API?
No public API is recorded for Care Quality Commission.
What industry is Care Quality Commission in?
Care Quality Commission's product category is Health and Social Care Regulation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJACAD, Healthcare Quality & Patient Safety Regulators, with a secondary code of HLAJACAB, Healthcare Compliance & Enforcement Authorities. Its NAICS code is 92615 and its SIC code is 8090.