CQC Statutory Notifications: The Full List, Forms, Deadlines and How to Submit Them (2026)
What you must tell CQC, the form and route for each notification, how to submit it, who is responsible, the deadlines and the medicines error rule most providers get wrong.
Registered providers must notify CQC of specified changes, events and incidents using CQC’s own forms, either through the CQC provider portal or by emailing a completed Word form. Most are due “without delay”: deaths (Regulation 16), events involving people detained under the Mental Health Act (17) and a defined list of other incidents including serious injury, abuse, police involvement and events that threaten the service running safely (18). Absence of the registered manager (28 days’ notice, or 5 working days for an emergency, Regulation 14) and changes to registered details (Regulation 15) have their own timescales. It is an offence not to notify. Medicines errors are not notifiable on their own.
This guide is for registered managers and providers of care homes and home care agencies in England. It sets out what must be notified, which CQC form to use, how to submit it and how fast, based on CQC’s notifications pages and the regulations. CQC’s lists and forms can change, so check its notifications page for the current form before you submit. Where we suggest something that is not a CQC requirement, we say so.
Key takeaways
- Notifications must be made on the forms CQC provides (Regulation 22A). There is a form for each type.
- Common notifications can be made through the CQC provider portal, which gives an automatic reference number. Others use a Word form you download, complete and email, and CQC emails an acknowledgement with a reference number.
- The registered person (provider or registered manager) must notify. You can delegate the task but you remain accountable.
- Use a unique code for the person affected, not their name, date of birth, NHS number or room number, except for the death of a person detained under the Mental Health Act.
- It is an offence not to notify CQC of a relevant change, event or incident.
- A medicines error is only notifiable if it causes a death, serious injury, abuse or allegation of abuse, or an incident reported to or investigated by the police.
In this guide
- Every notification type on CQC’s list
- How to submit a CQC notification
- Regulation 18: the core list of notifiable incidents
- Deaths and Mental Health Act events (Regulations 16 and 17)
- Absence of a manager and changes to registered details
- The medicines error rule most providers get wrong
- What is not a statutory notification
- Building a notification tracker that prevents misses
- Sources and how this was checked
- Frequently asked questions
Every notification type on CQC’s list
CQC’s notifications hub (last updated 25 March 2026) lists these notifications. The regulation column follows the duties explained later on this page; where we have not covered the regulation, check CQC’s page for the form and the timescale.
Events and incidents
| Notification (CQC’s name) | Regulation | Our guide |
|---|---|---|
| Absence of a registered individual for 28 days or more | Reg 14 | Manager absence |
| Return of a registered individual after an absence of 28 days or more | Reg 14 | Manager absence |
| Allegations of abuse (safeguarding) | Reg 18 | Allegation of abuse |
| Death of a person using the service | Reg 16 | Death notification |
| Serious injury to a person using the service | Reg 18 | Serious injury and police |
| Police involvement in an incident | Reg 18 | Serious injury and police |
| Events that stop a service running safely and properly | Reg 18 | See below |
| Outcome of an application to deprive a person of their liberty (DoLS) | Reg 18 | MCA, DoLS and LPS |
| Children and young people in adult psychiatric units | Reg 18 | See below |
| Death of a detained mental health patient | Reg 17 | See below |
| Unauthorised absence (detained patients) | Reg 17 | See below |
| Death of a registered provider (and plans for the service) | See CQC | Check CQC page |
| Liquidator or trustee’s plans for a service | See CQC | Check CQC page |
Changes to your registered details
| Notification (CQC’s name) | Our guide or note |
|---|---|
| Registered manager for an activity | Change of registered manager |
| Nominated individuals, officers and directors | Regulation 15, as soon as reasonably practicable |
| Changes to your statement of purpose | Statement of purpose: written details within 28 days |
| Change of an individual’s name; change contact details; provider’s name and address | Regulation 15 changes to registered details |
| Insolvency; provider stopping regulated activities | Change or cancel registration |
How to submit a CQC notification
CQC’s notifications guidance says you must use its forms, with a specific form for each type of notification. Regulation 22A of the Registration Regulations says notifications under regulations 14 to 18, 21 and 22 must be made using the forms the Commission provides (Regulation 22A).
- Find the right notification on CQC’s notifications page. Each has a page explaining what to include, the timescale and the options for submitting it.
- Choose the route. You can notify the most common changes, events or incidents through CQC’s provider portal. For some others you download a specific Word form, complete it and email it back. CQC says it updates the Word forms often, so use the latest version from its website. Where the portal can be used, CQC also provides a Word form as an alternative.
- Complete every field. CQC may return an incomplete form.
- Keep the reference number. The portal gives one automatically to each form you submit. If you use a Word form, CQC emails an acknowledgement with a reference number. Quote it if you send further information.
- Record it in your notifications log, with who sent it and when (see the tracker section below).
Who must notify: the registered person. That means organisations, partnerships or individuals registered to provide regulated activities, and any managers they employ who are registered for the activity. You can delegate sending, but you remain responsible and accountable, so you need clear delegation arrangements.
Protect the person’s privacy. For an event or incident, CQC asks for details about the person affected but in most cases you do not identify them. Use a unique identifier or code instead of their name, date of birth, NHS number or room number, and keep a secure record of who the code refers to. The exception is the death of a person detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, where you must give their name and date of birth.
Regulation 18: the core list of notifiable incidents
Regulation 18 requires the registered person to notify CQC without delay of a defined list of incidents that occur while providing, or as a result of, a regulated activity (CQC: Regulation 18):
| Incident | The specific trigger |
|---|---|
| Serious injury (impairment or harm) | In a health care professional’s reasonable opinion: an impairment of sensory, motor or intellectual function that is not likely to be temporary; changes to the structure of the person’s body; prolonged pain or psychological harm; or shortened life expectancy. “Not likely to be temporary” and “prolonged” both mean lasting, or likely to last, at least 28 days |
| Injury requiring treatment to prevent a worse outcome | An injury that, in a health care professional’s reasonable opinion, needs treatment to prevent death or one of the serious outcomes above |
| Abuse or allegation of abuse | Sexual abuse, physical or psychological ill-treatment, theft, misuse or misappropriation of money or property, or neglect and acts of omission that cause harm or place someone at risk of harm |
| Police involvement | Any incident reported to, or investigated by, the police |
| Events threatening safe running of the service | Includes: an insufficient number of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff; an interruption to electricity, gas, water or sewerage lasting more than a continuous 24 hours; physical damage to premises with a detrimental effect on care; or failure or malfunction of fire alarms or other safety devices lasting more than a continuous 24 hours |
| Under-18 placed in an adult psychiatric unit | Where the placement lasts more than a continuous 48 hours (does not apply to English NHS bodies) |
| DoLS requests and applications | A request to a supervisory body for a standard authorisation, or a court application to deprive someone of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Notify once the outcome is known, or at the point of withdrawal if withdrawn, stating the date, whether an urgent authorisation was used first, the outcome or reason for withdrawal, and its date |
All of these are notifiable without delay. CQC’s guidance defines abuse for this purpose, and defines “prolonged” and “not likely to be temporary” as lasting, or likely to last, at least 28 days.
Deaths and Mental Health Act events (Regulations 16 and 17)
CQC must be notified without delay of the death of any person using the service, where it occurred while a regulated activity was being provided, or has or may have resulted from it (CQC: Regulation 16). Providers normally notify CQC directly, except where the provider is a health service body, local authority or provider of primary medical services that has already told NHS England.
Separately, Regulation 17 requires notification, again without delay, of: the death of anyone liable to be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, wherever it happens; the unauthorised absence of such a person from a low, medium or high security inpatient psychiatric unit, once that absence passes midnight; and their return from that unauthorised absence (CQC: Regulation 17).
Absence of a manager and changes to registered details
Two duties have their own, longer timescales rather than “without delay”:
| Duty | Timescale |
|---|---|
| Absence of the registered manager (or a provider in day-to-day charge) for 28 days or more | At least 28 days before a planned absence, or within 5 working days for an emergency absence, and within 7 working days of their return (Regulation 14). See changing a registered manager |
| Changes to registered details | As soon as reasonably practicable, covering a change of registered manager, a change of director, officer or nominated individual, and other changes affecting the provider or its registration (Regulation 15) |
| Revising your statement of purpose | Written details of any revision within 28 days of making the change. See CQC statement of purpose |
The medicines error rule most providers get wrong
CQC’s own guidance is explicit: there is no requirement to notify CQC about a medicines error on its own. You only need to notify if the error caused one of the events already covered above: a death, an injury, abuse or an allegation of abuse, or an incident reported to or investigated by the police. Where that applies, make clear that the medicines error was a known or possible cause or effect.
This does not mean medicines errors should go unrecorded. CQC still expects an open, “fair blame” culture that records and learns from every error and near miss, including those that cause no notifiable harm, and your medicines policy should say clearly which incidents get notified to CQC and which are handled through local safeguarding processes instead. Controlled drug incidents, including loss or theft, should also go to your local NHS Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer and, where relevant, the police. See what to do after a medication error.
What is not a statutory notification
- Notifiable safety incident is a specific term defined under Regulation 20 (duty of candour), a different requirement to be open with the person affected, not the same as a Regulation 16 to 18 notification to CQC. See duty of candour.
- Adverse drug reactions are reported through the Yellow Card scheme, not as a CQC statutory notification.
- Outbreaks of infection are reported through the notifiable diseases route on GOV.UK, according to CQC’s guidance.
- NHS providers that report to NHS England through LFPSE do not need to notify some incident types to CQC separately. That does not apply to care homes and home care agencies.
If you do not notify, CQC can prosecute for a breach of the notification regulations without first issuing a warning notice, and must refuse registration if it is not satisfied a provider will comply. See CQC prosecutions and offences.
Building a notification tracker that prevents misses
The mistake many providers make is treating every notifiable event as if it has the same deadline. A working tracker needs the specific deadline for each notification type, not a single blanket timeframe; a clear trigger connecting entries in your other logs (safeguarding, incidents, DoLS) to the notification duty; and an overdue flag that surfaces before the deadline passes, not after. Record the CQC reference number for each notification.
Responsibility for sending a notification can be delegated to a team member, but CQC holds the registered provider or registered manager accountable if one is missed. A tracker that records who was assigned each notification, and confirms it was actually sent, is what protects the person who is legally responsible. See also our safeguarding log, incident management log and DoLS tracker.
CQCLogic’s CQC Notification Tracker records each notifiable event against the relevant deadline, with overdue flags before you miss one.
Sources and how this was checked
- CQC: Notifications (page last updated 25 March 2026).
- CQC: Notifications, guidance for providers (page last updated 20 May 2025).
- CQC: Regulation 22A, form of notifications; Regulations 14, 16, 17 and 18; Reporting medicine related incidents.
Read 25 October 2026. The regulation column and tracker advice are our summaries. Check the form page for the current form and timescale each time.
Deadline calculation you do not have to remember
CQCLogic’s CQC Notification Tracker records each notifiable event against the relevant deadline, with overdue flags before you miss one. It tracks your notifications; it does not send them to CQC. See a sample improvement plan, view pricing or get started free.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are statutory notifications?
Notifications that the law requires registered providers to send CQC about certain changes, events and incidents that affect the service or the people who use it, such as deaths, serious injuries, allegations of abuse, police involvement and changes to registered details.
How do I submit a CQC notification?
Use CQC’s forms. Common notifications can be made through the CQC provider portal, which gives an automatic reference number. Others use a Word form you download from the CQC notifications page, complete and email, and CQC emails an acknowledgement with a reference number.
Where can I find the CQC abuse notification form?
On CQC’s notifications page, under “Allegations of abuse (safeguarding)”. It explains what to include and the options for submitting it. Use the current version from CQC’s website.
Where can I find the CQC DoLS notification form?
On CQC’s notifications page, under “Outcome of an application to deprive a person of their liberty (DoLS)”. Notify once the outcome is known, or when the application is withdrawn.
Do I have to use CQC’s own form?
Yes. Regulation 22A of the Registration Regulations says notifications made under regulations 14 to 18 and 21 and 22 must be made using the forms provided by CQC.
Can I put the person’s name in a notification?
In most cases no. CQC asks you to use a unique identifier or code instead of a name, date of birth, NHS number or room number, and keep a secure record of who it refers to. The exception is the death of a person detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
What incidents must be reported to CQC?
Serious injury, abuse or allegation of abuse, incidents reported to or investigated by the police, and events that threaten the service running safely (Regulation 18), plus deaths (Regulation 16) and certain events involving people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (Regulation 17). All are notifiable without delay.
What counts as an event that stops a service running safely?
CQC’s Regulation 18 examples include an insufficient number of suitably qualified staff, an interruption to electricity, gas, water or sewerage lasting more than a continuous 24 hours, physical damage to premises with a detrimental effect on care, and failure or malfunction of a fire alarm or safety device lasting more than a continuous 24 hours.
Do you have to report a medicines error to CQC?
Not on its own. CQC says there is no requirement to notify about a medicines error unless it caused a death, an injury, abuse or an allegation of abuse, or an incident reported to or investigated by the police.
How quickly must a notification be sent to CQC?
Deaths, Mental Health Act events and the Regulation 18 list are notifiable without delay. Absence of a registered manager for 28 days or more has its own timescale (28 days’ advance notice, or 5 working days for an emergency). Changes to registered details must be notified as soon as reasonably practicable.
Is a notifiable safety incident the same as a CQC notification?
No. “Notifiable safety incident” is a specific term under the duty of candour regulation (Regulation 20), about being open with the person affected. It is separate from the statutory notifications to CQC, though the same incident can trigger both duties.
Who is responsible for sending CQC notifications?
The registered person: the provider and any registered manager. You can delegate the task, but you remain responsible and accountable, so you need clear delegation arrangements.
What happens if you miss a CQC notification?
It is an offence not to notify CQC of a relevant change, event or incident. CQC can prosecute for a breach of the notification regulations without first issuing a warning notice.