Services we regulate

Page last updated: 5 April 2023
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We monitor, inspect and regulate services that provide health and social care.

Activities we regulate include:

  • Treatment, care and support provided by hospitals, GPs dentists, ambulances and mental health services.
  • Treatment, care and support services for adults in care homes and in people's own homes (both personal and nursing care).
  • Services for people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act.

Types of services

A person being treated in an ambulance.

We inspect both NHS and independent ambulance services.

Reports on ambulance services


an older man sitting on a bed being helped onto his feet by a woman

We inspect care homes across England, including residential and nursing homes.

Reports on care homes


A medical professional preparing a sample.

Services we inspect include family planning and slimming clinics.

Reports on clinics


A young person talking to a counsellor.

We inspect community-based services including services for people with learning disabilities and substance misuse services.

Reports on community services


a dentist talking to a patient who is lying back in a dental chair

We inspect more than 10,000 dental services.

Reports on dentists


A doctor talking to an older patient.

We inspect GP practices, walk-in centres and out-of-hours services.

Reports on GP services


A carer holding a patient's hand.

We inspect hospice services that provide care for people who have life-limiting conditions or are at the end of their lives.

Reports on hospices


2 nurses looking at a document in a folder

We inspect both NHS trusts and independent hospitals.

Reports on hospitals


A man in a counselling session.

Mental health services that we inspect include those for detained patients.

Reports on mental health services

We also help protect people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act


A woman having tea with a care worker in her home

We inspect home care agencies, mobile doctors and services over the phone.

Reports on services in your home

Cross sector inspections

Sometimes we work with other inspectorates to carry out joint inspections of services.

We also carry out system-wide inspections. A system inspection assesses a group of services in a local area. This is so we can see how individual services work together to provide care across the system as a whole.

A teenager browsing a phone.

We work in partnership with other inspectorates to inspect health services for children.

About children's services and reports


A blood pressure check.

We work with the Defence Medical Services Regulator (DMSR) to inspect defence medical treatment facilities.

About defence medical services


A stethoscope.

We carry out joint inspections with HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and other inspectorates.

About services in secure settings and reports


Doctors running.

We carry out localised system-wide inspections across urgent and emergency care services.

About urgent and emergency care systems