An update on ratings for care homes and domiciliary support services

We have continued to develop our plans for implementing ratings and have considered this alongside the pressure on providers as a result of the first full Annual Return for the sector.

While our internal preparations are ongoing, we have delayed ‘go live’ until June. An outline timescale is described below and we will continue to provide updates through our provider events.

April/May 2023

• We will complete the amendments to our enforcement process, which are required to support ratings, and share this with providers.
• We will complete training for our inspection staff on silent ratings.
• We will carry out a procurement process to appoint an organisation to carry out an independent evaluation of the ratings pilot.

June 2023 – end of January 2024

• We will start providing silent ratings at all inspections of care homes and domiciliary support services, as part of a seven-month pilot phase. These will not be published.
• This pilot phase will then be evaluated, allowing us to assess our consistency in applying ratings as well as the impact on service providers and our inspection teams.
• We’ll publish findings from the evaluation and any potential amendments to our approach.

April 2025

• Ratings for care homes and domiciliary support services will begin to be published within inspection reports.