OrCore Compliance guides
CQC registration guides for new care providers
Plain-English answers to the questions new providers ask most about registering with CQC. Every point links to the official CQC or legislation page it comes from, so you can check it yourself.
How we write these guides
We use AI to help draft, and people at OrCore check every fact against the official page we link to. We don't give advice about your service and we can't guarantee a registration outcome: CQC makes every decision. If a page we cite changes, tell us and we'll update the guide.
Why so many CQC registrations stall first time, and the human errors behind it
Why CQC applications get sent back at the first check, the small human mistakes that can cause it, and what CQC itself says it rejects.
What policies does CQC actually expect when you register?
The policies every new CQC provider sends, the extras for care homes, home care and supported living, and the basic rules each document has to meet.
We use AI, and here's exactly how (and where a human checks)
Where OrCore Compliance uses AI to build CQC policies, where it doesn't, and the points where a person checks the work, including you.
Your policies must describe how you really work: why sign-off matters
Why your CQC policies have to match how your service actually runs, what the law and CQC say about it, and why we ask you to sign off every one.
Supported living vs domiciliary care: how CQC registration differs
Supported living and home care both register with CQC for personal care. Where they differ: the housing separation test, liberty rules and documents.
STOMP and CQC: what your policies cover for learning disability and autism
What STOMP means, where CQC expects it in a new provider's medicines, behaviour support and restraint policies, and the CQC pages that set it out.
Registered manager vs nominated individual: who does what in a CQC application
The difference between a CQC registered manager and a nominated individual, when one person can do both, and what each needs for registration. With links to CQC pages.
How long does CQC registration take? What actually affects the timeline
What CQC says about how long registration takes, the steps that add time before and after you apply, and why a rejected application goes back to the start of the queue.
CQC said to strengthen your policies? What to check before you resubmit
CQC sent back your home care application over your policies? What CQC checks in its documents review, and a point-by-point list to read against your email.
CQC registration interview questions for domiciliary care managers
What CQC says it checks when it interviews a new home care registered manager, with practice questions built from CQC's own published guidance.
CQC registration checklist: which policies a new domiciliary care agency sends
A checklist of the policies and documents CQC lists for a new home care agency: what to send, what to keep ready, and what every document has to show.