CQCCQC mock inspection
Run a mock CQC inspection before the real one.
A mock CQC inspection shows you what an inspector would find today: missing evidence, staff who aren't sure what to say, and checks that have lapsed. Here is how to run one yourself, with the questions inspectors ask and the tools to record what you find.
How to run a mock CQC inspection
Seven steps, the way an inspector works.
Set the scope and pick your inspector
Choose the whole service or one or two key questions, and a date. The person playing inspector should not be the one whose work is being checked: another manager, a colleague from a sister service or your consultant.
Ask for evidence at short notice
Request the documents CQC commonly asks for (policies, audits, training matrix, recruitment files, complaints, incident log, meeting minutes) and see what you can produce within 48 hours. Anything you cannot find quickly is a finding.
Walk round and observe
Look at the environment, equipment checks, medicines storage, infection control and how staff work with people. Note what you see, not what you are told.
Talk to staff and people using the service
Ask staff the questions inspectors ask, and listen for whether their answer covers what an inspector listens for. With consent, ask people who use the service and their families about their experience.
Check the evidence against the 34 quality statements
Go through each quality statement under the five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led) and decide whether you can evidence it well, partly or not at all.
Write the findings and the actions
For every gap, write an action with an owner and a due date. Share the findings with the team as learning, not blame.
Repeat and show the trend
Run it again after the actions are done, and keep both results. A dated record of finding gaps and closing them is good evidence of a well-led service.
Mock inspection in Audit Angel CQC · Premium
Rehearse it, record it, and keep the evidence.
Everything you need for a mock CQC inspection sits in one workspace, so the findings turn straight into actions and the next run shows your progress.
- Mock inspection checklist for your type of service: all 34 quality statements with what inspectors look for
- Evidence request check: what CQC may ask for, and whether you can produce it within 48 hours
- Staff interview rehearsal: practise the questions and see which points the answer misses
- Readiness score across the 34 quality statements, with a heatmap for each key question
- Action plan with owners and due dates for every gap
- Inspector pack: your evidence, audits and completed actions in one printable document
Free · no account needed
Mock CQC inspection questions for staff.
Inspectors talk to staff to check that what's on paper happens in practice. Ask these in your mock inspection and listen for each point.
“What would you do if you suspected a person using the service was being abused or neglected?”
A good answer covers:
- Keep the person safe
- Tell the safeguarding lead or manager
- Record exactly what you saw or heard
- Refer externally if needed
- Do not investigate yourself
“How would you raise a concern if your manager did not act on it?”
A good answer covers:
- Use the speak-up or whistleblowing route
- You can go to CQC
- It can be confidential
- You will not be punished for raising it
“Tell me about an incident here and what changed afterwards.”
A good answer covers:
- It was reported and logged
- It was reviewed
- Learning was shared
- A specific change was made
“How do you know a person using the service has agreed to their care or treatment?”
A good answer covers:
- You explain and ask
- Assume capacity; assess if in doubt
- Best-interest decision if they lack capacity
- Consent is recorded
“What happens here in a medical emergency?”
A good answer covers:
- Raise the alarm
- Where the emergency equipment is
- Staff are trained
- Equipment is checked regularly
“How do you prevent infections spreading?”
A good answer covers:
- Hand hygiene
- PPE
- Cleaning schedules
- Regular IPC audits
- Free checklist
- All 34 quality statements with the evidence inspectors look for in your type of service.
- Free audits
- 49 CQC audit templates to check the areas your mock inspection flags.
- Free rating check
- See your current CQC ratings and how long since your last inspection.
Questions
CQC mock inspection questions
What is a CQC mock inspection?
A mock CQC inspection is a rehearsal you run yourself, or with a consultant, before the real one. Someone plays the inspector: they ask for evidence, walk round, talk to staff and people using the service, and check what they find against CQC's five key questions and 34 quality statements. It is not carried out by CQC and does not give you a rating.
Do we have to do a mock CQC inspection?
No. CQC does not require one. Regulation 17 (good governance) does require systems to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of your service, and a mock inspection with dated findings and actions is one way to show that.
How often should we run a mock CQC inspection?
There is no set rule. A common pattern is once a year, plus after a big change such as a new registered manager, a poor audit result, a serious incident or a long gap since your last inspection.
Who should act as the inspector?
Someone independent of the work being checked: a manager from another team or a sister service, a peer from another provider, or a CQC consultant. They need to be able to ask hard questions and write down what they actually find.
Can we run a mock inspection without a CQC consultant?
Yes. A consultant gives you an outside view, which is useful before registration or after a poor rating. Many services run their own mock inspections in between. If you work with a consultant, you can invite them to your Audit Angel CQC workspace at no extra cost.
Should we tell staff it is a mock inspection?
Yes. Tell them it is a rehearsal and not a disciplinary process. You want honest answers, so you find the gaps before the inspector does.
What does Audit Angel CQC do for a mock inspection?
The free toolkit gives you the 34 quality statements with what inspectors look for, staff interview questions and 49 audit templates. Premium adds a mock inspection checklist for your type of service, an evidence request check, staff interview rehearsal, a readiness score across the 34 quality statements, an action plan and an inspector pack. Premium is free during the pilot.
Is this an official CQC tool?
No. Audit Angel CQC is independent and not affiliated with the Care Quality Commission. It is built from CQC's published guidance.
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.