How Much Does a CQC Mock Inspection Cost?
Updated: 5 days ago
The cost of a CQC mock inspection will depend on the size and complexity of your service, the scope of the review and whether the assessment is carried out remotely or on site. At CQC Consultancy, I currently offer three levels of compliance review and mock inspection, starting from £499.
Virtual Compliance Review – £499
The Virtual Compliance Review is designed for providers who want an independent assessment of key areas of CQC compliance without an on-site visit.
The review includes an assessment of key policies, audits and other compliance evidence to identify potential gaps or areas requiring improvement. Following the review, you receive a clear, prioritised action plan setting out the areas that should be addressed.
This can be particularly useful for providers who want a proportionate compliance check or who are beginning their preparation for a future CQC assessment.
Return to Good Mock Inspection – £1,299
The Return to Good Mock Inspection is an on-site assessment designed around the 10 CQC Return to Good quality statements.
The inspection includes evidence review, observations and discussions with staff to understand how your systems and processes operate in practice. Following the assessment, you receive a detailed improvement plan identifying areas requiring action.
This option is particularly suitable for providers that have identified compliance concerns or need a more focused assessment of the areas most relevant to demonstrating improvement.
Full Comprehensive Mock Inspection – £1,799
The Full Comprehensive Mock Inspection provides the most extensive review and covers all CQC quality statements applicable to your service.
The assessment includes evidence sampling, observations, staff interviews and a detailed improvement plan. The purpose is not simply to check whether policies exist, but to examine how effectively your governance and compliance arrangements operate in practice.
What does a CQC mock inspection cover?
CQC's current assessment approach retains the five key questions of whether a service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Under these key questions are quality statements that describe the standards providers are expected to demonstrate.
CQC gathers evidence both on site and off site and groups the evidence it considers into six categories:
people's experience of health and care services
feedback from staff and leaders
feedback from partners
observation
processes
outcomes
The evidence CQC considers varies according to the type of service and the quality statement being assessed. CQC makes clear that its sector evidence categories are a guide rather than a universal checklist, and that assessments can be adapted according to the service and risks identified.
My mock inspections take a similar evidence-led approach, adapted to the type of healthcare service being reviewed. Depending on the scope of the inspection, this may include reviewing policies and procedures, clinical and governance audits, risk assessments, incident management and learning, safeguarding arrangements, staff training and recruitment records, medicines management, infection prevention and control, complaints, patient feedback, clinical records and other evidence relevant to the service.
Importantly, a mock inspection should look beyond whether documents simply exist. CQC states that when considering processes, its assessments focus on how effective those processes are. Examples of evidence CQC may consider include audit results, learning from safety incidents, access to treatment and reviews of clinical or care records.
This means a good mock inspection should test whether the systems described in your policies can actually be demonstrated in practice.
For example, it is not enough to have an incident reporting policy. A review may also consider whether incidents are being recorded appropriately, whether they are investigated, whether learning is identified and whether improvements can be demonstrated.
Similarly, having an audit schedule is only part of the picture. The inspection may consider whether audits are actually taking place, whether results are analysed and whether actions arising from audits lead to measurable improvements.
Is a CQC mock inspection worth the cost?
A mock inspection can provide an independent view of your service before weaknesses are identified during regulatory activity.
CQC's assessment approach allows it to gather evidence through both on-site and off-site methods, and assessments may be planned or responsive to information or concerns. The precise evidence CQC examines will depend on factors including the type of service, the quality statement being assessed, the relevant evidence categories and information CQC already holds about the provider.
A mock inspection therefore cannot guarantee the outcome of a future CQC assessment. Instead, its value is in identifying potential compliance gaps, testing whether systems are working in practice and giving the provider a structured improvement plan before CQC assesses those areas.
For providers looking for an independent assessment of their current position, CQC mock inspection costs start from £499 for a virtual compliance review, with comprehensive on-site mock inspections available from £1,299 to £1,799 depending on the scope of the assessment.
Want an expert to do this for you? See my CQC mock inspection service.
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