This guidance is for providers who need us to assess their CQC registration application urgently. It explains who can request urgent consideration and what evidence you must send.
Eligibility
We assess most applications in the order we receive them. But we may give priority to your application if it is critical to:
- increase capacity in the health and social care system
- reduce pressures in the NHS or social care
Evidence we need
To help us decide if we can assess your application sooner, you must send us a formal, signed request from someone in one of these roles:
- a senior leader in an NHS trust
- a member of an Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissioning team
- a senior leader in the local authority
It must clearly explain:
- why your service is urgently needed
- why current local services cannot meet demand
- any risks to people who use those services if we do not register you urgently
This request must be written on official headed paper or sent from a verified gov.uk or nhs.net email address.
We cannot accept:
- correspondence from individual social workers, Members of Parliament, or local councillors
- evidence of provisional or awarded contracts without a supporting statement from the relevant commissioner
- claims of financial hardship (unless a commissioning body also confirms the urgency)
How to send your request
Send your evidence to CentralCoordinationTeam@cqc.org.uk.
If your evidence is an email, you can send this as an attachment, or forward the original email to us.
In the email subject line, include:
- your provider name
- application type (for example, new provider application)
This helps us process your application more quickly.
If you applied online
If you submitted your application online include your application reference number.