CQC’s 2026 improvement plans: What providers should do now

Our Commercial Director, Fabio Cecchi, sets out our response to CQC’s recent update on its improvement plans and explains what we believe providers should do now.

On 27 November, CQC published an update on its ‘improvement plans for 2026’. The update sets out how CQC plans to rebuild confidence in regulation and tackle some of the problems providers have been dealing with for a long time, including registration backlogs, delayed inspections and ongoing issues with its digital systems and provider portal.

At Fulcrum Care, we welcome the extra clarity. However, a plan on a website does not change what happens in a care home tomorrow morning. Providers still need to keep people safe and run sustainable services in a system that will stay unsettled for some time yet.

What CQC says it is going to do

CQC’s message falls into two broad areas – fixing immediate issues and designing a more stable system for the future.

1. Tackling the most urgent problems

CQC has acknowledged that providers have faced real difficulties with:

• Slow and complicated registration processes.
• Backlogs in applications and assessments.
• Delays in inspection activity and report publication.
• Frustration with its digital platforms, including the provider portal.

The update talks about simpler registration forms and guidance, increasing the volume of assessments and clearing outstanding work so that services are not left in limbo for months on end.

2. Longer-term change to regulation

Alongside the more immediate work, CQC is also talking about:

• Redesigning the regulatory process and assessment framework.
• Improving how it uses data and digital systems.
• Developing sector-specific frameworks through its ‘Better regulation, better care’ work.
• Moving towards a more consistent way of describing and rating quality across sectors.

The direction of travel is towards something more stable and predictable. However, getting there will take time and there will be change and uncertainty along the way.

Fulcrum Care’s view

From working with providers across the UK, three things stand out to us.

1. The tone is better, but this is a long haul

It is a positive step that CQC is more open about the impact of backlogs, delays and IT problems. That aligns with what providers and the people we support have been saying for some time. It is also reassuring that there is now a clearer roadmap instead of short-term fixes and mixed messages.

However, none of this will be resolved overnight. Providers should plan on the basis that registration and inspection delays and occasional digital issues will remain part of the landscape for some time.

2. Running on two tracks increases risk

Trying to fix day-to-day operations while redesigning the whole approach to regulation and technology is ambitious. There will be new forms, new expectations, new language and different ways of looking at the same services. That creates transition risk for providers unless governance is strong and people understand what is changing and why.

3. Engagement is an opportunity, if it is focused

CQC’s consultation and engagement activity around ‘better regulation’ is a genuine chance for providers to influence what ‘good’ looks like in their sector. The risk is that busy leaders either ignore it entirely or try to respond to everything and become overwhelmed. A more targeted and strategic approach will be needed.

For the first time in a while, we are seeing a coherent plan that admits what has gone wrong and outlines how CQC intends to put it right. That is a step forward. However, providers cannot build their assurance purely around what CQC says it will do by 2026 or 2028. Quality and safety still depend on what happens in services this week, not just on a future framework.

Five practical steps for providers

So, what do you do with all of this if you are running or overseeing services now?

1. Update your regulatory plan for the next three years

Treat CQC’s roadmap as something the board actively discusses, rather than background noise:

• Map key CQC milestones against your business, quality and workforce plans.
• Identify services most exposed to old ratings, historic concerns or pending registrations.
• Be clear at board level about your appetite for regulatory risk and what ‘no surprises’ really means.

We are already supporting providers to turn the high-level plan into a simple regulatory roadmap for their organisation or group.

2. Tighten your approach to registration

Even as CQC works on the backlog, providers can make life easier by tightening their own side of the process:

• Treat every registration or variation as a governance exercise, not just a form to submit.
• Make sure Statements of Purpose, leadership structures and risk assessments are consistent, current and evidenced.
• Build realistic timeframes for registration outcomes into acquisitions, new services and changes of ownership, assuming delay rather than best case.

This reduces friction with CQC and avoids last-minute shocks for residents, staff and investors.

3. Strengthen internal assurance while inspections catch up

CQC has committed to increasing assessments but many services will still be operating under outdated ratings for some time:

• Work on the basis that inspection could happen at any point, especially where there have been pressures or concerns.
• Use internal audits, peer reviews or independent mock inspections that mirror the latest assessment approach.
• Bring data together, including incidents, complaints, feedback, workforce information and outcomes, so you have a rounded view of quality rather than relying on a single metric.

Where we see services improving most quickly, internal assurance is at least as strong as external scrutiny.

4. Build resilience around digital and data

Given the acknowledged issues with digital systems, it is sensible to build in some resilience:

• Keep your own record of key submissions to CQC, such as notifications, registration documents and important correspondence, including dates and any references.
• Maintain a simple and meaningful quality dashboard internally so your understanding of risk and performance is not dependent on whether CQC’s systems are working well that week.
• Involve your IT and data leads in regulatory planning, not only in firefighting when something goes wrong.

Good digital and data discipline is now a core part of being ready for regulation.

5. Engage selectively with ‘Better regulation, better care’

Finally, be deliberate about how you respond to the consultation and engagement work:

• Focus on the parts that directly affect your services, especially the adult social care frameworks and rating characteristics.
• Involve operational leaders and, where possible, people who use services and families in shaping your feedback.
• Where it makes sense, respond as part of a group or association so that frontline experience is heard without placing all the burden on your own team.

Fulcrum Care is already helping providers to make sense of the proposals and feed in real-world experience in a structured way.

A plan worth noting but not a reason to wait

CQC’s improvement plans are a step in the right direction. It acknowledges serious problems, commits to a more structured approach and gives a clearer view of what is intended to happen between now and 2026. However, it does not remove the need for providers to own their governance and quality now.

For the foreseeable future, providers will be operating on two tracks:

• CQC rebuilding its frameworks, processes and digital infrastructure.
• Services delivering care today, under pressure, to people who need safe, consistent, person-centred support.

Fulcrum Care’s role is to help bridge that gap. We turn regulatory change into clear and practical steps, and support providers to move from reactive compliance to confident, evidence-based assurance. If you would like to discuss what this update means for your organisation, or to review your regulatory plan for the next three years, the Fulcrum Care team would be pleased to support you. To find out more about how Fulcrum Care supports providers with regulation and quality improvement, visit www.fulcrumcareconsulting.com