External reports and research

Research we have commissioned and reports into areas of our work carried out by other organisations.

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• Research we have commissioned
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Research we have commissioned

Single assessment framework review (February 2025)

This review, carried out by the Care Provider Alliance, looks at the perspectives of social care providers on CQC's single assessment framework and their views on future regulation by CQC.

4,000 voices (October 2022)

The survey asked 4,013 people aged 65 and over about their experiences of using health and social care services in 2022.

September 2020 reports

Three pieces of research have been carried out to look into areas where CQC’s regulation has contributed to improving the quality of health and care services, and where we can improve it. We are using the findings from this research to inform our strategy for 2021 and beyond.

CQC’s impact on the quality of care: An assessment of CQC’s contribution by the Alliance Manchester Business Schools at the University of Manchester

This is an in-depth assessment of the relationship between CQC’s regulatory approach and improvement in the quality of health and social care. This was to support our understanding of how we are delivering against our purpose, so we can identify areas where we can improve our approach.

We are using a number of the findings to inform our strategy and approach from 2021. For example, open and honest relationships between CQC inspectors and people who work for a care provider can contribute to better quality care, particularly if CQC involves partner organisations to help providers improve. The study also found that CQC can contribute to improvement by producing accessible and up to date guidance products for care providers.

CQC’s impact on the quality of care

This is the main report. You can request additional findings by emailing alan.boyd@manchester.ac.uk.

Rapid Literature Review on Effective Regulation: Implications for the Care Quality Commission

To base our Strategy for 2021 and beyond on the best evidence about what works in regulation, we looked at external evidence, working with an academic advisor at the University of Manchester. We carried out a rapid review of the literature on effective regulation, including in other countries and sectors. This identified key learning to inform our strategy, including:

• taking a flexible approach to regulation and adapting it to the circumstances of different providers
• building ongoing relationships with the providers we regulate
• working with other parts of the system to achieve improvements in quality
• meaningfully involving people who use services in our regulation
• ensuring relevant regulation by keeping pace with the digitalisation, technology, and innovations in the system

Rapid literature review on effective regulation: Implications for the Care Quality Commission

Evaluation of the healthcare services well-led framework

The NHS National Improvement and Leadership Development Board commissioned Alliance Manchester Business School at the University of Manchester, in association with Deloitte, to evaluate the well-led framework for healthcare services. The evaluation showed that:

• the framework enables leaders to change leadership practices that have an impact on the quality of care
• the framework needs to focus on both governance and processes and culture and leadership, including a greater focus on diversity and engaging people who use services
• regulators need to look at both leadership in individual organisations as well as how they operate across the broader system
• regulatory and oversight bodies need to ensure providers get support to improve.

Aligned to the findings from the evaluation of the Well Led Framework, the NHS people plan for 2020/21 has emphasised the need for compassionate, distributed and inclusive leadership, and a culture that encourages and celebrates diversity. We have carried out provider collaboration reviews to look at how health and social care providers are working together in local areas and we will be engaging with leaders with NHS trusts about the further development of the Well Led framework.

Evaluation of the health care services well-led framework

Reports about us

Independent IT review (March 2025)

This review by Peter Gill looks at the technology we built to support our organisational transformation. It considers why we reached a point where it caused considerable disruption and if it can be salvaged.

Our response to reviews by Dr Penny Dash and Professor Sir Mike Richards (October 2024)

We have welcomed two important reviews that will help to set the future direction for CQC: the final report of Dr Penny Dash’s review and the report of the independent review by Professor Sir Mike Richards.

GOV.UK: Review into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission: full report (October 2024)

Final findings and recommendations of Dr Penelope Dash's review into the operational effectiveness of CQC.

Review of CQC's single assessment framework and its implementation (October 2024)

Professor Sir Mike Richards' review looking at changes that CQC made following the publication of its new strategy in 2021 and their impact.

Older reports

See the National Archive for older reports.