When you want to find out more about a business, the first place you look is usually on their website. And that’s exactly what your CQC inspector will be doing when they assess how well you’re meeting the quality statements. Your website is one of several places your inspector will look when they’re gathering evidence to answer their 5 key questions:
- Is your business safe?
- Is it effective?
- Is it caring?
- Is it responsive to people’s needs?
- Is it well-led?
So, here’s another question for you: Is your website CQC ready?
Where to start
If you’ve already got a CQC rating, you must display it on your website by law. You can download widgets from the CQC here. Care providers with a ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ rating are encouraged to provide information on how they’re improving their services or what they’ve changed since the rating was published.
Keep up-to-date with changes to the quality statements. The CQC has added a new quality statement which requires care providers to demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability as part of being well-led. Consider adding your sustainability policy to your website.
Highlighting how you’re meeting the quality statements
Everything on your website must be authentic. It’s not the place to make sweeping statements that you can’t back up with real evidence – i.e. policy or process documents, or staff and client testimonials. Instead, think of it as an opportunity to highlight all the great things you’re doing to make your business safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
The quality statements are aligned with the FREDA principles of human rights. These are Fairness, Respect, Equality, Dignity, and Autonomy. When you talk about your services, think about how you can touch on these points.
Here are some things you can pull out.
1. Communication with clients and their families
Clients need to be able to get information and advice about their health, care, and support network easily. This includes their physical, mental and emotional health.
If you work with people with communication support needs, make sure you mention any specialist training your team has such as Makaton, sign language or multiple language skills.
Quality statements met: safe, effective.
2. Empowering, personalised care
Explain how you empower people to make their own choices and to maintain as much independence as possible without compromising on their safety.
It’s not just about medical needs – outstanding care includes seeing and treating the person as a whole; helping them to enjoy hobbies and achieve their goals as well as picking up chores or providing personal care.
Quality statements met: safe, effective.
3. The care plan
Personalised care plans make sure everyone is crystal clear on the level of care you’ve agreed with clients and their families. But someone new to care might not know about them. Explain what they are, that the person receiving care will be involved in putting it together – unless they don’t have the capacity to make those decisions due to a condition – and that they’re regularly reviewed and updated as care needs evolve.
Quality statements met: safe, effective, responsive.
4. Co-ordinating with the wider care network
You should be acting as part of your client’s wider care network. Your website should make it clear how you do this. For example, if someone has specialist requirements, you need to be clear on what your team will be doing and what other experts will take care of. Describe how you can get them to and from medical appointments and that they’ll be receiving truly joined-up care.
Quality statements met: safe, effective, responsive.
5. Safeguarding vulnerable people
Every client should be treated with kindness, empathy and respect. Some care providers work with vulnerable groups such as those living with dementia, learning difficulties, and complex medical conditions, or with children and young adults.
Describe how you keep your clients safe and how you respect their dignity while delivering care. Think about privacy – you might need to balance keeping parents or guardians informed about the wellbeing of a child while maintaining their trust and privacy.
If you often work with people under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), how do you implement them? How do you make sure the right people are involved in someone’s care? On your website, be clear about how you do this.
Quality statements met: safe, caring
6. Using testimonials
Testimonials from clients, their families and staff are a great addition to your website. They give authentic insight into your business from trusted sources. If you don’t have any testimonials or online reviews, it’s well worth asking clients and staff to rate you. The worst they can do is say no, and hopefully, you’ll get a nice selection of quotes that demonstrate how caring, well-led and responsive your business is.
When your inspector is gathering evidence, they’ll speak to your staff and clients. In a perfect world, these people will echo the testimonials you’ve got on your website.
Quality statements met: caring, responsive, well-led.
7. Your team and registered manager
Make sure you have a dedicated ‘meet the team’ section on your website including your registered manager and core staff. A photo and short bio will make your company seem friendly and accessible.
Great leaders are supportive and care for their team and clients. Explain what your company vision is and how your staff help to achieve it. If you have a dedicated page for recruitment, repeat the values that you’re looking for, the company culture, and spell out how you support your team.
Mention any specialist qualifications your team have. If you offer ongoing training or career progression, include it on your team and recruitment pages. You can also use your blog to highlight any awards your staff have won or to showcase an employee of the month. Great care starts from within the organisation – make sure that shines through your website.
Quality statements met: caring, effective, well-led
8. Processing feedback
Your clients need to be able to submit feedback or complaints, and this should be taken seriously. You should be responsive to feedback from your clients if they reach out and be able to demonstrate how you implement changes.
Have up-to-date policies and procedures for complaints and feedback on your website that are clear and easy to find. Demonstrate your accountability by showing what the process is once someone has reached out to you.
Also, consider including an FAQs page on your site where you address the specifics of how you do this and answer questions such as, ‘What’s your framework for assessing care needs?’ or ‘How do you offer person-centred care?’. This is just as much about offering a quality service as it is about building trust and showing your clients how much you value them.
Quality statements met: safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led
Need help? Get in touch
If you’re not sure how well your website is representing your CQC compliance, get in touch. We can assess your copy, make suggestions, and guide you.
