CQC Mock Inspection Template: Free Checklist, Scoring Sheet and Action Plan for Care Homes and Home Care

CQC Mock Inspection Template: Free Checklist, Scoring Sheet and Action Plan for Care Homes and Home Care

A complete, copy-and-print mock inspection template: setup sheet, CQC-style scoring, a check for every one of the 34 quality statements, a walk-round observation list, record sampling guide and an action plan.

A CQC mock inspection template is a structured form you use to test your own service the way CQC would: it covers the five key questions and 34 quality statements, lists what to check and what evidence to look at, records a score and turns gaps into an action plan. This page gives you the full template to copy into Word or Excel, or to print. It scores each quality statement from 1 to 4, as CQC does, and shows you how to turn the totals into a percentage and a likely rating per key question. A mock inspection is an internal exercise and does not replace or predict a CQC assessment, but it is the best way to find gaps first.

This template is for registered managers, nominated individuals and quality leads in care homes and home care (domiciliary care) agencies in England. The structure and scoring follow CQC’s published method. The questions, sampling sizes and guidance are our practical suggestions, not CQC requirements, and we say so. Facts about CQC come from its guidance, linked in the sources section.

You can also copy each table below into your own document, or print the page to PDF. Fill in the score and notes columns as you go, then transfer actions to the action plan. For staff question prompts see our mock inspection questions, and for the wider routine see how to pass a CQC inspection.

Step 1: Mock inspection set-up sheet

Complete this before you start. It makes the exercise repeatable and gives you a baseline to compare with next time.

Tip (ours): use a mock inspector who does not manage the area, for example a manager from another service, a trusted colleague or an external consultant. People tend to score their own work generously.

Step 2: Scoring method (CQC-style)

CQC gives each quality statement it assesses a score from 1 to 4, using professional judgement on the evidence: 1 means significant shortfalls, 2 some shortfalls, 3 a good standard and 4 an exceptional standard. It then adds the scores for a key question and divides by the maximum possible, which is the number of quality statements multiplied by 4. The percentage is translated into a rating using these thresholds (CQC: How we reach a rating):

Two rules stop poor areas being hidden. If the key question score is in the Good range but one or more quality statements scored 1, the rating is limited to Requires Improvement. If it is in the Outstanding range but one or more scored 1 or 2, it is limited to Good. For the overall rating, CQC weights the five key questions equally and the overall rating is normally Good when no key question is Inadequate and no more than one is Requires Improvement.

Totals you need for each key question

These are the lowest whole-number totals that reach each threshold. Remember the limiter: even with enough points, any score of 1 holds Good back to Requires Improvement. Use the scores to compare over time and to find priorities, not as a forecast of your CQC rating.

Our score guide for mock inspectors (a suggestion)

Step 3: Safe (8 quality statements)

Step 4: Effective (6 quality statements)

Step 5: Caring (5 quality statements)

Step 6: Responsive (7 quality statements)

Step 7: Well-led (8 quality statements)

Step 8: Summary scoring sheet

Add up the scores for each key question, divide by the maximum and compare with the thresholds. Note any quality statement scored 1.

Formula: total score divided by maximum, multiplied by 100. Example: Safe total 24 out of 32 is 75%, which is in the Good range provided no quality statement scored 1.

Walk-round observation checklist (our suggestion)

CQC’s observation evidence covers how staff deliver care, staff culture and behaviours, the care environment and equipment. Walk the service at different times, including a mealtime and a medicines round, and tick or note each item.

Records sampling guide (our suggestion)

CQC does not set sample sizes. These starting points give a fair view without taking a day each: increase them where you find problems.

People and staff conversations

Speak to people who use the service and relatives, and to staff across roles. Keep it conversational and note examples, not scripted answers. Our mock inspection questions give prompts for each key question, and how to prepare staff explains how to brief a team without coaching.

Step 9: Action plan template

List every quality statement scored 1 or 2, and any 3 where the evidence is thin. Give each action one owner and a date.

See our action plan template and how to write an improvement plan for more detail.

Step 10: Debrief and repeat

1. Hold a short debrief with the team the same day: what went well, what needs attention, and the top three priorities.
2. Share the result openly. Staff should see the findings and their part in the actions.
3. Finish the action plan within a week and add dates to the calendar.
4. Re-check scored 1s and 2s within a month.
5. Repeat the exercise regularly. Quarterly for the full template, with monthly spot checks in your weaker areas, is a practical rhythm (our suggestion).

Adapting the template for home care

The key questions and scoring are the same. For home care, shift the evidence checks as CQC’s home care evidence list does (CQC: Homecare and shared lives evidence categories): add environmental and health and safety risk assessments for people’s homes, arrangements to respond to emergencies, appraisal and supervision records, staffing and skill mix records, and PRN protocols. Replace the walk-round with visit observation (a spot check of a care visit with the person’s agreement), check call and visit records, daily notes and call monitoring, and sample lone-working arrangements.

How much does a mock inspection cost?

A mock inspection you run yourself with this template costs staff time only. External mock inspections are priced by providers according to the size and complexity of the service, and published prices vary widely, so ask for a written scope and price. For a sense of range, one provider was advertising a downloadable mock inspection toolkit and action plan at £400 plus VAT in October 2026, which is a self-completion product, not a site visit. Compare what is included: on-site days, interviews, scoring, a written report and a follow-up visit.

Mock inspection versus a real CQC assessment

A mock inspection is an internal preparedness exercise. It does not replicate or replace an official CQC assessment, and your own scores will not match CQC’s because CQC applies professional judgement across evidence categories you cannot fully see, including information from partners and the public (CQC: Planning assessments). Use the template to find and fix gaps, not to predict a rating. See what evidence CQC inspectors look for for the lists CQC publishes.

Sources and how this was checked

• CQC: How we reach a rating (page last updated 13 May 2025; scoring from 2 December 2024).
• CQC: Care homes and supported living services: evidence categories and Homecare and shared lives services: evidence categories.
• CQC: Planning assessments (page last updated 8 January 2026).

Read on 23 October 2026. The questions, sampling sizes, score guide and timings are our suggestions, not CQC guidance.

Mock Inspection Report Template: How to Write Up Your Findings

People search for a “CQC inspection report template” meaning two different things. CQC does not publish a blank report template for providers: it writes its own reports, and says each one is written by the lead inspector. What providers can use is the structure of a real CQC report as a model for the report that comes out of a mock inspection. CQC says its adult social care reports include:

• contextual information about the service and the inspection;
• a description of the inspection team’s findings;
• ratings for each key question inspected and the overall rating;
• evidence about any breaches of the regulations, the action CQC told the provider to take, and any enforcement action;
• recommendations to the provider about improvements;
• a summary section for the provider to share with each person using the service, their family and carers, and staff.

Where needed, CQC also prepares easy read report summaries for people with a learning disability. (Source: CQC, The inspection report: adult social care services.) A mock report that follows the same shape makes your findings easy to compare with a real one. Our suggested template:

Writing good findings. State what you saw, link it to evidence and say why it matters. Instead of “Care plans are not up to date”, write “Four of six care plans sampled had no review since the person’s fall (dates), so staff would not know the changed mobility needs. Action: review all plans after any fall, owner: deputy manager, due 14 November.” Keep the language factual, and avoid copying CQC’s rating words unless your scoring supports them.

After a real assessment. CQC publishes the report on its website, and providers must display their ratings (displaying your CQC rating). CQC offers PowerPoint poster templates for services assessed under its new approach, which you can download from its ratings poster pages.