In just one week’s time, we’ll be hosting our free webinar, Your August CQC Update: 126 Inspections Decoded – The One Practice That Slipped and Why It Matters to You.
If your practice is currently rated Good or Outstanding, and your last inspection took place between 2017 and 2022, this webinar has been designed specifically for you.
We’ve analysed every focused Returning to Good assessment published by the CQC between February and June 2026. That’s 126 inspection reports—each offering valuable insight into how practices are being assessed under the Single Assessment Framework.
While every practice is different, the patterns emerging from these reports are remarkably consistent.
The Headlines
The good news is that 125 of the 126 practices maintained or improved their rating.
That should reassure practices preparing for future inspections.
But the reports also tell another story.
More than nine out of ten practices that retained a Good rating still had written findings recorded within their inspection reports. Inspectors recognised good care—but they also identified areas where governance, documentation or evidence could be strengthened.
In other words, achieving or maintaining a Good rating isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being able to demonstrate that your practice understands its risks and has appropriate evidence to support the care it delivers.
Why Did One Practice Slip?
Among all 126 reports, just one practice moved from Good to Requires Improvement.
When we looked closely at the report, the outcome wasn’t driven by widespread clinical concerns. Instead, two relatively small pieces of documentary evidence played a significant role in the final assessment.
It’s a reminder that inspections don’t simply assess what practices do—they assess what practices can demonstrate.
Having the right evidence available, up to date and aligned with the Quality Statements is becoming increasingly important.
What We’ll Cover Next Week
During the webinar, Daniel Vincent will talk through the findings from 126 reports and explain what they mean for general practice.
We’ll discuss:
- The four Quality Statements where inspectors are most frequently identifying below-Good scores.
- The evidence inspectors continue to request across multiple inspections.
- Why Good practices are still receiving written findings.
- Practical steps practices can take now to improve inspection readiness.
We’ll also review a real piece of inspection evidence together, showing you how to decide whether your own documentation is likely to be viewed as:
🟢 Green – inspection ready
🟠 Amber – could be strengthened
🔴 Red – likely to attract further scrutiny
By the end of the session, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of where your own practice stands.
Join Us Next Week
Whether you’ve attended one of our previous CQC update webinars or this is your first, this session will provide practical insights based on real inspection evidence—not opinion.
If you’re responsible for CQC compliance, governance or inspection readiness, we hope you’ll join us.
Register Today
Your August CQC Update: 126 Inspections Decoded – The One Practice That Slipped and Why It Matters to You
📅 Wednesday 26 August 2026
🕚 11:00am–12:00pm (BST)
💻 Live Online
🎥 Can’t join us live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording afterwards.
👉 Register here: [https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/769cf624-8eb4-48b8-9740-cedfa04279d1@a36b0cc9-fa8b-491f-89e8-ff2d6ef813d0]