If you’re looking for home care or a suitable residential home for yourself or a member of your family, you’ll come across the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This is because all healthcare care companies, rest homes and social care service providers must be registered with the CQC.

It’s important you read the CQC reports before engaging the services of any care providers. The care industry hasn’t always had the best reputation, and even now, there are regular horror stories in the media about poor standards of care. This is completely unacceptable and it’s what the CQC was established to tackle.

Of course, for every poor organisation there are hundreds, if not thousands, of reputable providers delivering the highest standards of healthcare. CQC reports will help you identify the organisations which are reputable and deliver the level of care you need.

The CQC is an independent organisation. Because it’s not a Government-run service, it has no political bias. But the CQC does lobby the Government and speaks up for the people it represents.

Healthcare providers, and this includes GP surgeries and ambulance services as well as home care companies like Unity Care, are subject to regular, unannounced inspections. If complaints are made about an organisation or a service, the CQC investigates the allegations. Reports are available on the CQC website which give you the essential information you’ll need to help you make an informed choice about your healthcare provider.

If an organisation fails to meet the CQC’s stringent standards, they can be served with improvement notices, fined, and they can even be closed down and taken to court. If you are looking for a healthcare or home care company be sure to check out their reports carefully. It’s important your care provider of choice meets all the high standards set out by the CQC.

If you’d like to know more about the role of the Care Quality Commission, you’ll find more information here. And if you’d like to see Unity Care’s CQC reports, they are available for you to download here.