Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of all health and adult social care in England.

They regulate health and adult social care services in England, whether they're provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies or voluntary organisations and protect the rights of people detained under the Mental Health Act.

The CQC ensures essential common quality standards are being met where care is provided and work towards the improvement of care services. They promote the rights and interests of people who use services and have a wide range of enforcement powers to take action if services are unacceptable.

The CQC brings together independent regulation of health, mental health and adult social care. Prior to 1 April 2009, this work was carried out by the Healthcare Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

The CQC's main activities are:

• Registering health and social care providers to ensure they are meeting essential common quality standard
• Monitoring and inspecting health and adult social care
• Enforcing standards - issuing fines, public warnings or closures if providers fail to meet the required standards
• Improving health and social care services by undertaking regular reviews of how well those who arrange and provide services locally are performing and performing special reviews on particular care services, pathways of care or themes where there are particular concerns about quality
• Reporting the outcomes of their work so that people who use services have information about the quality of their local health and adult social care services. They also aim to help those who arrange and provide services to see where improvement is needed and to learn from each other about what works best

Contact details

Telephone: 03000 616161

Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk

Website: www.cqc.org.uk

Postal Address

Care Quality Commission National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA