Common Questions To Expect in Your CQC Inspection
CQC inspections can be a nerve-wracking event for any care provider, especially when it comes to the staff interviews portion. Having faith in your staff to answer the CQC’s questions confidently can really alleviate some of the stress you might be feeling pre-inspection. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the types of questions your inspector may ask your staff and managers during an assessment.
For easy-reading we are going to break up the common questions into smaller categories, covering everything from workplace culture to emergency events.
Workplace and Leadership Questions:
Do you feel supported by the management team?
Were you asked to provide references when being appointed?
Are you aware of the service’s whistle blowing policy and would you feel comfortable whistle blowing if needed?
How does the management framework ensure responsibilities are clear and risks are managed?
Do you feel you are provided with ample and regular training?
What innovations have been implemented in response to challenges?
How does your employer work in partnership with other agencies?
Health and Safety Questions:
How do systems, processes, and practices safeguard people from abuse?
Do you have an incident report book and do you know where it is kept?
How do you ensure people’s human rights are respected, particularly in health treatment decisions?
How do you monitor and review risks to ensure safety?
Do you feel the service ensures there are sufficient numbers of suitable staff?
How do you feel the pandemic affected the service?
Do you know where you keep the anaphylactic kits and if they are checked regularly?
Patient Care and Treatment Questions
How do you ensure the proper and safe use of medicines?
How are medication errors addressed and learned from?
Do you feel that clients are protected by the prevention and control of infection?
What changes have been made to IPC arrangements in response to the pandemic?
How do you ensure consent to care and treatment is always sought?
How is social distancing managed and least restrictive practices implemented?
How do you maintain confidentiality and privacy with your clients?
Personalised Care and Support Questions
Do you feel that the service ensures people are treated with kindness, respect, and compassion?
How do you demonstrate respect for people’s preferences and histories?
What support is available for people’s emotional wellbeing?
Are you given ample time and support to provide compassionate and personal care?
How are reasonable adjustments made for disabled individuals?
How to Answer Questions Confidently:
So now we know what to expect from the interview portion, but how do we answer these questions confidently? Well, practice answering questions with our 3 D.E.P. tips:
Descriptive: Explain your processes, approaches and systems in detail, assuming the inspector is unfamiliar with your service. This extra detail is always appreciated and paints a fuller picture.
Examples: Provide specific examples to illustrate your points and demonstrate compliance with CQC standards. It is a good idea to ask staff to prepare in their minds a handful of strong examples they can recall if needed.
Positive Attitude: When stuck on a difficult, take a positive approach. This could be mentioning any training, innovation, audits or improvements made in response to past inspections or incidents. It is best to illustrate how your service has and always will continuously improve.
CQC Inspections, whilst often stressful, are an amazing opportunity to sing and shout about the great work your care service is doing. And hopefully, with these practice questions you and your staff will be able to ace your next assessment. For more support and guidance on CQC inspections, check out our related article CQC Inspection Checklist: How To Prepare For a Successful Assessment.
