CQC Ratings Explained: The 4 Ratings, Score Bands and How the Overall Rating Is Decided (2026)
The four CQC ratings, what each means, the score bands, how key question ratings combine into the overall rating for a care home or home care service, and what to do with a rating.
CQC gives four ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Good is the standard CQC expects, and Outstanding is the highest. Services are rated on each of the five key questions and the ratings combine into an overall rating. CQC’s current score bands are 88 to 100% for Outstanding, 63 to 87% for Good, 39 to 62% for Requires improvement and 38% or lower for Inadequate. CQC’s 2026 draft frameworks would remove scoring, but they are not in force.
This guide is for providers, managers and families in England who want to understand CQC ratings. It sets out what each rating means in CQC’s own terms, how the score bands work, how the overall rating for an adult social care service is decided, where ratings appear and what happens to them when a provider changes. It uses CQC’s own pages, linked in the sources section. Where we add explanation or suggestions, they are ours, not CQC’s.
Key takeaways
- There are four ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate.
- CQC rates each of the five key questions, then combines them into an overall rating, weighting all five equally.
- Current score bands: Outstanding 88 to 100%, Good 63 to 87%, Requires improvement 39 to 62%, Inadequate 38% or lower.
- Providers must display their most recent rating at the service and on their website.
- CQC’s 2026 draft frameworks would remove scoring and award ratings at key question level. They are not in force.
In this guide
- The four CQC ratings
- What is a good CQC rating? What is the best rating?
- How the overall rating is decided for adult social care
- Levels of ratings: services, locations and providers
- What happens to a rating when the provider changes?
- Where to find and display a CQC rating
- How many care homes are rated Outstanding?
- What a rating means for providers and for families
- Are CQC ratings changing in 2026?
- Sources and how this was checked
- Frequently asked questions
The four CQC ratings
CQC’s ratings page says it gives four ratings to health and social care services. In CQC’s words, in short:
| Rating | What CQC says it means | Score band | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding | The service is performing exceptionally well | 88 to 100% | Good to Outstanding |
| Good | The service is performing well and meeting CQC’s expectations | 63 to 87% | Requires Improvement to Good |
| Requires improvement | The service is not performing as well as it should, and CQC has told it how it must improve | 39 to 62% | Requires Improvement |
| Inadequate | The service is performing badly and CQC has taken action against the person or organisation that runs it | 38% or lower | Inadequate |
The score bands apply to a key question’s percentage score under CQC’s current approach. CQC gives percentage scores in its newer assessment reports to show whether a service is at the upper or lower end of a rating.
What is a good CQC rating? What is the best rating?
Good is the standard CQC expects providers to achieve and sustain. It means the service is performing well and meeting expectations (63 to 87% on a key question). Outstanding is the best rating: performing exceptionally well (88 to 100%). Most providers aim to hold Good or better, and that is where most services sit: of the care homes CQC has assessed under its current framework, 67% are Good and 3% Outstanding (see the figures below). For what separates the two, see what separates Good from Outstanding.
How the overall rating is decided for adult social care
CQC rates each of the five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led) and then combines them into an overall service rating. For adult social care, CQC’s rating principles say the five key questions are all equally important and are weighted equally. Normally:
| Overall rating | Normally when |
|---|---|
| Outstanding | At least two key questions are Outstanding and the others are Good |
| Good | No key question is Inadequate and no more than one is Requires improvement |
| Requires improvement | Two or more key questions are Requires improvement |
| Inadequate | Two or more key questions are Inadequate |
CQC says it uses professional judgement, and may depart from the principles where concerns justify it. It considers the extent of the concerns, the impact on people, the risk to quality and safety, its confidence in the provider to address them and whether the provider has already acted. See the 5 CQC key questions.
Under the current scoring approach (our existing guides explain it in detail), a key question that scores in the Good range can be capped at Requires improvement if any quality statement in it scores 1. See how to improve your CQC rating.
Levels of ratings: services, locations and providers
CQC rates at different levels for different types of service. For adult social care it rates at two levels: a rating for each of the five key questions, and an overall service rating. CQC rates individual services at a location, so where a care home and a home care agency run from the same location, CQC will publish separate ratings and a location without an overall rating. Because the rating is for the service, you should check each service’s page on CQC’s website.
What happens to a rating when the provider changes?
CQC continues to show the previous ratings on its website when the provider of a service changes and uses them to plan a proportionate, risk-informed approach to the first assessment after the change. The first assessment makes new judgements and produces new ratings. Ratings from the previous provider are not used to produce a new aggregated rating. See buying or selling a care home: CQC due diligence.
Where to find and display a CQC rating
You can find a rating on the service’s page on CQC’s website, using the location name or Location ID. Not all services have ratings: CQC does not have the legal power to rate some services such as dental practices, some have registered but not yet been assessed, and some old reports pre-date ratings.
Registered providers must display their most recent CQC rating at each location and on their website (Regulation 20A). See displaying your CQC rating.
How many care homes are rated Outstanding?
CQC’s State of Care 2025/26 (published October 2026) gives overall ratings as at August 2026 for adult social care services assessed under its current assessment framework, which it has used since the start of 2024:
| Service type (number assessed) | Outstanding | Good | Requires improvement | Inadequate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care homes (3,783) | 3% | 67% | 27% | 3% |
| Homecare (2,121) | 4% | 76% | 18% | 2% |
| Supported living (390) | 4% | 74% | 19% | 2% |
So Outstanding is rare: about 3% of the care homes assessed so far, and 4% of homecare services. Two cautions from CQC. First, assessments have been largely risk based, so the services assessed may not be representative of all services across the sector, and the figures are not a count of every care home. Second, ratings differ by area: CQC reports that care homes in the South West and London had the best ratings (82% and 80% rated Good or Outstanding), while the North West had the lowest at 59% (56% Good, 2% Outstanding). CQC also says about a third of care homes were rated Requires improvement (31%) or Inadequate (3%) for the well-led key question, with the most common concerns being governance, management and sustainability (see Regulation 17).
What a rating means for providers and for families
| Providers | Families | |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding or Good | Keep the evidence current; CQC can assess at any time, and risk-based timing means complaints and notifications can bring an assessment forward | A positive sign, but read the report and visit at different times of day |
| Requires improvement | Draft report, factual accuracy, action plan; repeated ratings can lead to a Regulation 17 breach. See Requires Improvement | Look at which key question fell short, ask what has changed, check the trend |
| Inadequate | Special measures, enforcement and a time-limited chance to improve. See Inadequate | Read the report closely, ask about the improvement plan and CQC’s follow-up |
If you disagree with a published rating, there is a factual accuracy stage before publication and a limited rating process review after it. See how to challenge a CQC rating.
Are CQC ratings changing in 2026?
CQC’s draft sector frameworks, published in March 2026, would remove numerical scoring, bring back rating characteristics and award ratings directly at key question level. CQC has said the current approach applies until the new one is implemented, with no confirmed date at its 27 August 2026 update. The four ratings themselves are not proposed to change. See CQC’s new assessment framework for 2026.
Sources and how this was checked
- CQC: Our ratings and scores (ratings, key question ratings, services without ratings, score bands).
- CQC: Levels of ratings (levels, rating principles for adult social care, provider changes).
- CQC: State of Care 2024/25, ratings charts appendix (data as at 1 August 2025).
- CQC: The state of health care and adult social care in England 2025/26 (ratings as at August 2026; read 26 October 2026).
Read 25 October 2026. The comparison table for providers and families is our summary.
Track what moves your rating
CQCLogic organises improvement actions and evidence by key question so you can see where a rating could be lost or gained. It does not predict CQC ratings. See a sample improvement plan, view pricing or get started free.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CQC ratings are there?
Four: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. CQC rates each of the five key questions and combines them into an overall rating for most services.
What are the 4 CQC ratings?
Outstanding (performing exceptionally well), Good (performing well and meeting expectations), Requires improvement (not performing as well as it should) and Inadequate (performing badly, with action taken by CQC).
What is a good CQC rating?
Good is the standard CQC expects. It means the service is performing well and meeting expectations, which is a score of 63 to 87% for a key question under CQC’s current scoring.
What is the best CQC rating?
Outstanding is the highest rating. It means the service is performing exceptionally well (88 to 100% for a key question under CQC’s current scoring).
What are the CQC score bands?
Outstanding 88 to 100%, Good 63 to 87%, Requires improvement 39 to 62%, Inadequate 38% or lower.
How is the overall CQC rating decided?
For adult social care, CQC weights the five key questions equally. Normally Outstanding needs at least two Outstanding key questions and the rest Good, Good needs no Inadequate and no more than one Requires improvement, two or more Requires improvement gives Requires improvement and two or more Inadequate gives Inadequate. CQC may use professional judgement.
Where can I find a service’s CQC rating?
On the service’s page on CQC’s website. Providers must also display their latest rating at the location and on their website.
What happens to the rating if a care home changes owner?
CQC keeps showing the previous ratings and uses them to plan the first assessment after the change. That assessment produces new ratings, and the previous provider’s ratings are not used to produce a new aggregated rating.
How many care homes are rated Outstanding?
About 3% of the 3,783 care homes CQC had assessed under its current framework as at August 2026 are rated Outstanding, 67% Good, 27% Requires improvement and 3% Inadequate (State of Care 2025/26). CQC cautions that assessments have been largely risk based, so these services may not be representative of all care homes. For homecare it is 4% Outstanding and 76% Good.
Is CQC changing the ratings in 2026?
CQC’s draft frameworks would remove numerical scoring and award ratings at key question level, but keep the four ratings. They are not in force and current guidance applies until CQC implements the new approach.
What is the highest CQC rating for care homes?
Outstanding, which on CQC’s score bands means 88% or above on a key question. As at August 2026, about 3% of care homes assessed under CQC’s current framework were rated Outstanding overall.
Is Good a good CQC rating?
Yes. Good is the standard CQC expects providers to achieve and sustain, and means the service is performing well and meeting expectations (63 to 87%). 67% of care homes assessed under the current framework were rated Good as at August 2026.
How do you achieve an Outstanding CQC rating?
By evidencing an exceptional standard: a key question score of 88% or more, and under CQC’s scoring rules no quality statement scored 1 or 2 in an area otherwise in the Outstanding range. Our guide to what separates Good from Outstanding explains what changes in practice.