Guide
What CQC asks for when you register a home care agency
Registration is mostly a paperwork exercise, but the paperwork has to hang together. Here's what a new domiciliary provider in England needs, and a sensible order to do it in.
1. Decide who the registered manager will be
Every domiciliary service needs a registered manager, and they apply separately from the provider. They'll need a DBS check obtained through CQC's process, references, evidence of relevant qualifications and experience, and a fit person interview. Start this early, because it's usually the slowest part.
2. Write your statement of purpose
This sets out your aims, the services you'll provide, who you'll support, your geographic area and your contact details. Inspectors treat it as the description of what you promise to deliver, so keep it realistic and keep it current.
3. Get your policies in place
You'll be asked to show the policies that underpin safe care. At minimum: safeguarding adults, medicines, infection prevention and control, health and safety, recruitment, data protection, complaints, whistleblowing, and incident reporting. They need to reflect how your service actually works rather than being generic documents with your logo added.
4. Show how care will be planned and recorded
Have your care plan format, risk assessments and daily record forms ready. Being able to show the documents you'll use, and how a risk assessment leads into a care plan, answers a lot of questions before they're asked.
5. Prepare your governance
Think about how you'll audit yourself: spot checks, supervision, medication audits, complaints logs and how learning from incidents gets back to staff. Registration asks how you'll run the service well, not just how you'll deliver visits.
6. Sort the practical requirements
You'll need public liability and employer's liability insurance, a business bank account, registration with the ICO for data protection, and a registered address. Budget for the CQC application fee and the annual fee that follows.
How long it takes
Plan for several months from application to decision. Incomplete applications are the most common cause of delay, so it's worth having everything ready before you submit rather than filling gaps under time pressure.
A word of caution
This is a practical overview, not legal or regulatory advice, and CQC's requirements change. Always check the current guidance on the CQC website before you apply.
Resources that help
Our Care Business Starter Bundle covers the registration checklist, statement of purpose, policy framework and first 90 days. The CQC Compliance Bundle covers the policies, risk assessments and audits above.