CQC reprioritises inspections of older or unrated services.

In January 2026 CQC announced a “refreshed approach” to scheduling social care assessments. Under this new policy, the regulator will prioritise services with very old ratings or no rating at all to manage its backlog and keep ratings current. High-risk or urgent cases (e.g. safety concerns) will still be inspected immediately, but the “balanced approach” also specifically targets:

• Services never inspected that appear very high risk.

• Services registered over a year without any assessment.

• Services with older ratings, to “keep ratings current and reliable”.

Regulatory impact: Providers who have not been inspected in a long time (or never inspected) should expect CQC attention sooner than under previous schedules. The aim is to avoid “stale” ratings and identify emerging problems. For providers, this means that carrying an “Outstanding” or “Good” status long ago may be reassessed, and new providers can no longer assume inspection can wait.

Key actions for providers:

- Check your service’s last inspection date. If it is outdated, review all care and safety processes in preparation for an up-to-date assessment.
- Maintain high standards continuously, since rating refreshes may bring renewed scrutiny.
- Address any known issues proactively (e.g. staffing, premises, care records) as CQC could inspect sooner.
- Keep intelligence records and policies current, as CQC will act “where there is extreme risk”.

In sum, CQC’s prioritisation change signals that no service will be left uninspected indefinitely. Providers should therefore be inspection-ready and avoid complacency about older ratings.