How to Challenge a CQC Rating

Receiving a less-than-ideal Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating can significantly impact your care home. It can harm your reputation, lead to a drop in new business, and damage relationships with current residents' families. And whilst most ratings from CQC are fair and firm, there are a few situations where can and should please your case. If you believe your CQC rating is unfair or inaccurate, there are steps you can take to challenge it.

Why Challenge a CQC Rating?

A CQC rating that does not reflect the true quality of your service can have long-lasting effects.

Beyond the immediate financial impact, a poor rating can lead to negative media attention and reduce the trust families place in your care home. Even if you address issues promptly, you might not be re-inspected for another six months or more, which can delay the opportunity to restore your reputation. In May of this year, the team here at Affinity Care Advisory lodged a Freedom of Information request to the Care Quality Commission. This report revealed that over 74% of all inadequate care services had still been awaiting reinspection past the 6-month deadline.

Challenging a CQC rating allows you to correct any factual inaccuracies or highlight overlooked evidence. It also ensures that the CQC inspection process remains thorough and fair, holding inspectors accountable for the quality of their assessments.

Steps to Challenge a CQC Rating

1. Factual Accuracy Check
   Upon receiving a draft inspection report, you have 10 working days to submit a factual accuracy check. This is your opportunity to correct any errors in the report, such as inaccuracies in the evidence used or missing information. Be sure to gather solid documentary evidence to support your challenge, as vague or unsupported claims will not be sufficient.

2. Ratings Review
   If your challenge to the draft report does not result in a satisfactory outcome, you can request a ratings review after the final report is published. However, this can only be done if you believe that the CQC inspector did not follow proper procedures in determining the rating. You must submit your request within 15 working days of the report’s publication.

What to Consider

It’s important to approach the process very carefully. While challenging a CQC report is your right, it’s essential to maintain a professional and constructive relationship with the CQC. Inspectors expect challenges when there are valid reasons, and a well-documented, clear, and proportionate challenge is more likely to be successful. However, if your challenge is sloppy, unprofessional or rude, not only is it more likely to be thrown out, but will also damage your business’ relationship with the CQC.

The Benefits of a Successful Challenge

A successful challenge can lead to a revised rating or the removal of negative comments from the report. In some cases, the CQC may even choose to reinspect your service, giving you a second chance to demonstrate improvements. When successful, these revisions ensure that neither your residents nor the public will ever see the original, lower rating.

Challenging a CQC rating can be a complex process, but it’s a valuable opportunity to ensure that your care home is fairly assessed. With the right approach, you can safeguard your reputation and continue providing high-quality care without the shadow of an inaccurate rating hanging over your service.

For more information on challenging a CQC rating or report, visit the CQC webpage Requesting a review of one or more CQC ratings.