How we will calculate the first scores

Our new single assessment framework uses scores to help us decide the ratings for a service.

When we start to assess services using this new approach, we will need to apply scores for each quality statement. This page explains how we will do that.

Services with an existing rating or findings about compliance

When we carry out our first assessment of your service, we will select which quality statements to look at. The selection of quality statements will be determined by national priorities, set by type of service, as well as a consideration of the information we hold about your service.

For each of the quality statements we look at, we will collect evidence and score all the relevant evidence categories. This means the scores for those quality statements will be entirely based on our new assessment.

For the remaining quality statements, we will base the scores on our previous findings and the date of their assessment will be provided alongside. We will do this using the current, published ratings for the relevant key question. These scores will be:

• 4 for each quality statement where the key question is rated as outstanding
• 3 for each quality statement where the key question is rated as good
• 2 for each quality statement where the key question is rated as requires improvement
• 1 for each quality statement where the key question is rated as inadequate

There are 4 exceptions to this approach for topics that have moved from one key question to another or are new to our framework.

For all services:

• The initial scores for the workforce wellbeing and enablement quality statement will be based on the well-led key question rating. This is because this topic area has moved from well-led to caring in our new framework.
• We will not apply an initial score for the environmental sustainability quality statement. This is because it is a new area in our framework.

For services previously inspected using the adult social care framework only:

• The initial scores for the care provision, integration and continuity quality statement will be based on the well-led key question rating.
• The initial scores for the providing information quality statement will be based on the effective key question rating. This is because this topic area has moved from effective to responsive in our new framework.

Services that have not yet been inspected

If your service has not been inspected when it moves under the new approach, we will not apply initial scores as there are no previous findings to base these on.

For these services, we will normally collect evidence for all the quality statements within the first year.

Services we do not rate

For some types of service, we do not have the legal ability to give a rating. These services include:

• primary dental care
• hyperbaric therapy
• independent pathology laboratories
• blood and transplant services.

We will still assess these services using the new framework, but we will not publish scores for the quality statements or give a rating for these services. We will publish more details of what the judgements for these services will look like soon.