You might have noticed that we’ve started including ‘We’ statements in our new weekly Harmony CQC Audits – and we wanted to take a moment to explain why we’ve made this change, and how it’s designed to support you.
This initiative aims to assist you in gathering robust evidence for your inspections, aligning with the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) 34 Quality Statements.
Understanding the ‘We’ Statements
The ‘we’ statements are clear, person-centred prompts based on the 34 CQC’s quality statements. They describe what good care looks like from the perspective of the people using the service.
Examples include:
- “We have a proactive and positive culture of safety based on openness and honesty, in which concerns about safety are investigated and reported thoroughly, and lessons are learned to continually identify and embed good practices.”
- “We make sure people are at the centre of their care and treatment choices and we decide, in partnership with them, how to respond to any relevant changes in their needs.”
By embedding these ‘We’ statements into our audits, we aim to provide a clear framework that mirrors the CQC’s expectations, facilitating a more straightforward preparation process for your inspections.
The Purpose Behind Incorporating ‘We’ Statements
Our primary goal is to streamline your inspection preparation by:
- Clarifying Expectations: Aligning audit criteria directly with the CQC’s Quality Statements ensures you understand the standards against which you’ll be assessed.
- Facilitating Evidence Collection: The ‘We’ statements guide you in identifying and organising pertinent evidence that demonstrates compliance with each quality standard.
- Promoting Reflective Practice: Encouraging a self-assessment approach where you can evaluate your services through the lens of the CQC’s criteria, fostering continuous improvement.
Utilising ‘We’ Statements in Your Audits
When completing an audit, take a moment to read the ‘we’ statement attached to each section. Ask yourself:
- Can we demonstrate this in practice?
- What evidence do we have to support it?
- Would people using our service agree with this statement?
It’s not about box-ticking – it’s about showing how your service lives up to the standards that matter most to the people you care for.
In Summary
The inclusion of ‘we’ statements in your audits is a small change that can make a big difference. They bring a people-first focus to your evidence-gathering and help you stay inspection-ready with confidence.
We’re always looking for ways to make audits more meaningful, relevant, and supportive – and we hope this is another step in the right direction.
👉 Explore how the ‘We’ statements appear in your audits and how they can support your inspection prep with the Harmony CQC Audits: https://club.hcqc.co.uk/c/self-audits/
📖 For more information on the CQC’s Quality Statements, please visit: Appendix 1: The 34 quality statements – Care Quality Commission
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