CQC Launches Next Phase of Local Authority Assessments

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published updated guidance on the tools and processes it will use as it moves into the next phase of assessing how local authorities are meeting their statutory duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014.

The announcement, made on 15 May 2026, builds on an updated approach published the previous month and follows extensive engagement with key stakeholders including the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the Local Government Association (LGA), Ofsted, a number of local authorities, and CQC’s own assessment teams.

Among the most significant developments is the introduction of local authority assurance meetings, designed to help the CQC better understand the context in which each authority is carrying out its adult social care responsibilities and the resulting impact on people’s experiences and outcomes — including those of unpaid carers. Full guidance on the format and frequency of these meetings has been published on the CQC website.

The CQC has also revised the language and guidance around how it gathers evidence from people receiving care. What were previously referred to as “case tracking” and “case sampling” have been renamed “understanding people’s experiences” and “sampling people’s experiences” respectively, following feedback from local authorities that the original terminology was unclear.

Understanding people’s experiences involves reviewing the care records of a small number of individuals and speaking with them, their families, or advocates — a process completed before any site visit takes place. Sampling people’s experiences, by contrast, involves examining care records alongside a member of staff from the local authority, without direct contact with the individual concerned.

In response to feedback gathered during its earlier baselining assessments, the CQC has improved the way it communicates with local authorities during and after site visits. This includes more precise guidance on the purpose and timing of “Keeping in Touch” meetings and “High-Level Feedback” meetings, as well as clarity on who is expected to attend.
The factual accuracy checking process has also been strengthened. An updated template for submitting comments on draft reports has been introduced following feedback that previous versions were difficult to navigate.

An assessment begins when the CQC sends an information return request to the local authority and concludes when the final assessment report is published. Authorities will have two weeks to complete the information return, after which the CQC will begin assessment activity — including case tracking, engaging with unpaid carers, and gathering evidence to inform planning for site visits.

The CQC aims to provide six to eight weeks’ notice ahead of a comprehensive site visit, during which time local authorities will be given the names of a designated assessment planner and assessment manager. Each assessment consists of one week of off-site virtual activity followed by one week of on-site activity, with the full process expected to span 19 weeks, excluding publication of the final report.

Notifications of assessment have begun to be issued to local authorities during May 2026.