CQC inspection readiness and audit software
Know how ready you are for your CQC inspection, and what to fix first.
Audit Angel CQC turns your evidence into one readiness score across CQC's 34 quality statements, gives you 49 free CQC audit templates built from official guidance, and turns every gap into an action. For care homes, home care, GP and dental practices, independent clinics and online providers.
Why now
CQC is working through years of missed inspections.
Many services haven't been inspected for years, and notice can be short. Evidence has to be current on the day the call comes.
Sources: Bridgehead Intelligence analysis of CQC open data, October 2026; Credentially, CQC inspection preparation 2026; CQC factual accuracy guidance.
How it works
See the gaps. Close them. Show the inspector.
CQC audits from official sources
49 CQC audits and checklists, written for your type of service.
Built only from CQC, NHS England, NICE, UKHSA, HSE and other official guidance. Answer Yes, Partly, No or N/A; the score and a PDF report become dated evidence, and every gap goes onto your action plan.
- Audit programme with due dates
- Printable form or Word for paper
- Source and official tool linked on every template
CQC record import and gap analysis · Premium
Start from what CQC has already said about you.
Enter your CQC location ID. We read your current ratings and latest report through CQC's official API, find the breaches, low scores and must-do points, and suggest actions you can add to your plan in one click.
- Ratings for each key question next to your readiness
- Regulation breaches and quality statement scores
- Suggested actions linked to the right audits
Inspector pack
Your whole story for the inspector, in one document.
One click builds a printable pack: readiness score, coverage heatmap, evidence for every quality statement, audit results, feedback and the actions you have completed.
- Ready for an evidence request
- Print or save as PDF
- Always up to date
Also included
Evidence with files
Policies, logs and audits with the document attached and a review date. Expired items count as gaps.
Action plan
Owners and due dates for every gap, from audits, CQC findings and feedback.
Feedback surveys
Anonymous five-question surveys for people, staff and partners. Results become evidence.
Staff interview rehearsal
The questions CQC inspectors ask staff, and what a good answer covers. A mock inspection you can repeat.
Draft report response
Answer the draft report within 10 working days, with evidence linked to each point.
Your whole team
Invite colleagues, or your CQC consultant, with a link. No charge per user.
Looking for a CQC consultant?
Do the groundwork yourself, all year round.
Many services bring in a CQC consultant for a mock inspection and a gap analysis a few weeks before they expect an inspection. Audit Angel CQC gives you the same groundwork to run yourself, and keeps it in date between visits. Already working with a consultant? Invite them to your workspace, so you both work from the same evidence.
Start your gap analysis freeMock inspection
Rehearse the questions CQC inspectors ask staff, and see your readiness score for each key question.
Gap analysis
Score your evidence against all 34 quality statements, with gaps on a heatmap. Premium adds your CQC record and its findings.
Audit programme
49 CQC audit templates from official guidance, with due dates, PDF reports and an action for every gap.
Evidence for the inspector
An inspector pack built in one click, and a response to the draft report with evidence linked.
Toolkit
CQC audit templates for your type of service.
Security
Built by a certified NHS supplier.
Codex Software holds ISO/IEC 27001 and Cyber Essentials and meets the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit standards.
- Hosted in the UK or EU, on a database encrypted at rest
- Every workspace isolated; files download only to your signed-in team
- Uploads checked by their content, not just their name
- Passwords hashed; sessions end when a password changes
- Anonymous surveys collect no names
- No patient-identifiable information should be uploaded
View certificate
View assessment (D6R2P)
Verify certificate
Certificate details and scope are available on request.
Questions
CQC inspection and audit questions
What is a CQC audit?
A CQC audit is an internal check that your service meets the Care Quality Commission's standards: for example a medicines audit, a care plan audit, an infection control audit or a safe recruitment file check. CQC does not do these audits for you. It expects to see that you run them, act on what they find and can show the evidence at inspection.
How do I prepare for a CQC inspection?
Check your evidence against CQC's five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led) and the 34 quality statements beneath them. Run regular audits, fix the gaps, collect feedback from people who use the service and from staff, make sure staff can explain how things work, and keep it all in date, because notice of an inspection can be short. Audit Angel CQC organises each of these steps.
Do I need a CQC consultant?
Not necessarily. Many registered managers prepare for inspection themselves, and a CQC consultant is most useful for registration, enforcement or a service in special measures. Audit Angel CQC gives you the groundwork a consultant would otherwise do (a gap analysis, mock inspection questions, an audit programme and an inspector pack) to run yourself all year. If you already work with a consultant, invite them to your workspace at no extra cost.
Are the CQC audit templates free?
Yes. All 49 templates in the Toolkit are free to run online without an account, with a PDF report at the end. You can also print a blank form or download it as Word.
How is the readiness score worked out?
Each of CQC's 34 quality statements counts fully when you have at least two pieces of in-date evidence or have marked it ready, half when evidence is thin, and not at all when there is a gap. Expired evidence doesn't count. You also see a score for each key question.
How does the CQC record import work?
You enter your CQC location ID (it is in the web address of your page on cqc.org.uk). We read your public ratings and latest report through CQC's official API, then show the breaches, low quality statement scores and "must" and "should" points, with suggested actions. We only read public data, and nothing is sent to CQC.
Do I need software to pass a CQC inspection?
No. CQC doesn't require any particular system and judges what you do, not which tool you use. Audit Angel CQC helps you organise what you already do, keep it in date and show it clearly.
Where do the templates come from?
Only from official sources: CQC, NHS England, NICE, UKHSA, MHRA, HSE, GOV.UK, the GMC, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, and national health charities. Each links to its sources. Open the Toolkit.
Does this replace my policies?
No. Keep your policies. Audit Angel CQC records the evidence that they work and shows where you're thin.
Can I upload patient records?
No. Upload policies, audits, logs, training records and anonymised summaries.
Is it endorsed by CQC?
No. Audit Angel CQC is independent and not affiliated with the Care Quality Commission.
What happens to my data if I leave?
Download your files and inspector pack at any time. When you close your account we delete your workspace within 90 days. Read the privacy notice.
Know your gaps before the inspector does.
Set-up takes ten minutes. Start with example evidence for your type of service, run your first audit, then replace the examples with your own.