Workforce compliance your inspector can see, from registration to rating.
Safe staffing, safe recruitment, trained and supervised staff, incidents reported and learned from. ProRota runs the workforce side of your care service and turns it into evidence for each of CQC's five key questions.
Readiness by key question, for every location
See how ready each location is under Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led, which issues an inspector would pick up first, and how staffing compared with your plan over the last four weeks.
- Readiness per key question and per location, not a predicted rating
- "Would concern an inspector" flags, such as staff rostered with incomplete files
- Notifications to CQC tracked to completion
Good progress: 4 items would concern an inspector
38 staff · 2 locations · last inspection 14 months ago
Staff files complete
35 / 38
Training in date
91%
Readiness by key question
- Safe76%
- Effective82%
- Caring90%
- Responsive71%
- Well-led74%
Needs attention
- 2 staff rostered before references were completeReg 19
- Night shift below planned staffing on 3 nightsReg 18
- Safeguarding training expires for 4 carers this month30 days
Everything a care provider needs, in one platform
CQC readiness builds on the rota, attendance, recruitment and training records care providers already keep in ProRota.
Live features that already support your CQC evidence:
Rotas and attendance
Shift scheduling for every location with GPS clock-in and clock-out, so you can show who was on shift and when.
Safe recruitment checks
ProRota Screening runs identity, right to work, employment history, references and DBS checks before day one, linked to the employee record.
Training and qualification records
Certificates and qualifications with expiry dates, so lapsed training is visible before it becomes a finding.
Incident reporting
Custom report templates for falls, medication errors or safeguarding concerns, submitted from the app with photos and signatures.
Lone and night worker check calls
Scheduled welfare check calls with a record of every response.
Checklists and spot checks
Tasks and checklists with photo evidence for audits, premises checks and spot checks.
Policies in every carer's pocket
Company policies published to the employee app.
CQC readiness adds:
Registration readiness
A checklist for providers preparing to register: statement of purpose, registered manager, policies, training matrix, staffing model and premises certificates.
Schedule 3 staff file
Every recruitment record the regulations require, per person, with a warning when someone is rostered before their file is complete.
Training matrix by role
Mandatory training per role, refresher periods, expiries and reminders, in one matrix.
Staffing levels you can evidence
Required staff and skill mix per location and shift, compared with who was rostered and who actually worked.
Supervision, appraisal and induction
Due and overdue supervision, spot checks, appraisals and Care Certificate progress.
Notifications and duty of candour
Incidents that must be notified to CQC tracked to completion with references, plus duty of candour steps.
Inspection pack
Evidence organised by key question and location, ready for an inspector or your own mock inspection.
What CQC looks for in your workforce
The Care Quality Commission regulates health and adult social care in England. It asks five key questions of every service: is it safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led? Services are rated Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. Many of the most common findings are about the workforce: not enough suitably skilled staff, gaps in recruitment checks, lapsed training and missing supervision.
The regulations behind the questions
Underneath the key questions sit the Fundamental Standards in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. For the workforce, two matter most. Regulation 18 (Staffing) requires sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff, properly trained, supervised and appraised. Regulation 19 (Fit and proper persons employed) requires safe recruitment and the information listed in Schedule 3 for every person employed. Others, such as safeguarding (Regulation 13), complaints (Regulation 16), good governance (Regulation 17) and the duty of candour (Regulation 20), depend on records your team keeps every day.
Schedule 3: the staff file inspectors check
- Proof of identity, including a recent photograph
- A DBS check at the right level where required
- Evidence of conduct in previous health or social care roles, and why they ended
- A full employment history, with a written explanation of any gaps
- Relevant qualifications
- Information about physical and mental fitness for the role
Getting registered
New providers need an accurate statement of purpose describing their services, locations and registered managers, and any registered manager applications must go in with the provider application. CQC's guidance for residential adult social care also lists supporting documents such as a financial viability statement where required, a governance policy and a staff training matrix. ProRota's registration readiness checklist brings these together, so the records you build to register become your evidence once you are inspected.
A framework in transition
CQC has consulted on draft sector-specific assessment frameworks, including one for adult social care, which bring back key lines of enquiry and rating characteristics. ProRota anchors each check to the underlying regulation and maps it to whichever framework is in force, so your evidence does not need rebuilding when CQC's approach changes.
A standard CQC checklist, from registration to inspection
CQC readiness ships with a standard checklist in two stages. Every item is tied to a regulation and, where possible, evidenced from ProRota data.
Stage A · Registration readiness
15 items- Statement of purpose, kept up to date
- Registered manager and nominated individual
- Governance policy and core policy set
- Staff training matrix covering every role
- Safe recruitment process to Schedule 3
- Planned staffing per location
- Premises and insurance certificates
Safe
14 items- Shifts staffed to plan, with the right skills
- Schedule 3 file complete before the first shift
- Safeguarding training in date
- Incidents reviewed and learned from
- Medication-trained staff on every round
- Lone and night workers checked on
Effective
7 items- Mandatory training matrix in date
- Induction / Care Certificate completed
- Supervision at the set frequency
- Annual appraisal for every staff member
- Mental Capacity Act training and policy
Caring and Responsive
8 items- Dignity and equality policy acknowledged
- Continuity of carers for the same people
- Complaints logged, answered and learned from
- Home care visits on time and full length
Well-led
12 items- Registered manager in post at each location
- Notifications to CQC sent on time
- Duty of candour applied
- Audit programme completed, actions closed
- Policies reviewed and acknowledged
- Staff feedback gathered and acted on
Out of ProRota's scope (linked)
Care system- Care plans and reviews
- Medicines records (eMAR)
- Daily notes and nutrition records
Checklist items are summarised from the 2014 Regulations and CQC guidance. CQC's current guidance and the legislation are the authoritative sources.
Why care providers choose ProRota for the workforce side
Safe staffing, shown
Planned versus rostered versus worked, by location and shift, instead of a statement that staffing is "usually fine".
Safe recruitment, linked
Pre-employment checks in ProRota Screening flow into each staff file, without re-keying.
Training that does not lapse
Expiry tracking and reminders for every certificate and course.
Incidents to learning
From the report on a carer's phone to review, notification and lessons shared.
Lone worker safety
Check calls for night staff and home care workers on their own.
Audits that get done
Scheduled checklists and spot checks with photo evidence and actions.
Policies people have read
Versioned policies with acknowledgement in the app.
Multi-location ready
Each CQC location tracked separately, rolled up for the provider.
Sponsored care workers
Pair CQC readiness with Sponsor Licence readiness and record everything once.
For every kind of adult social care provider
Care homes
Residential and nursing homes with 24/7 rotas.
Home care agencies
Domiciliary care teams working alone in people's homes.
Supported living
Specialist services with specialist training needs.
Providers preparing to register
Build your evidence before you apply.
CQC compliance: common questions
Who has to register with the CQC?
In England, providers of regulated activities in health and adult social care, such as personal care in people's homes or accommodation with nursing or personal care, must register with the Care Quality Commission before they start. Registration covers the provider, each location, and a registered manager where required.
What do you need to register with the CQC?
CQC asks for an accurate statement of purpose describing your services, locations and registered managers, together with your application forms. Any registered manager applications must be submitted with the provider application. For adult social care residential services, CQC's guidance also lists supporting documents such as a financial viability statement where required, a governance policy and a staff training matrix. Check CQC's current registration guidance for your service type.
What does the CQC inspect?
CQC assesses services against five key questions: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led? Services are rated Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. Underneath sit the Fundamental Standards in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, including staffing (Regulation 18) and fit and proper persons employed (Regulation 19).
What is Schedule 3 and why does it matter?
Schedule 3 of the 2014 Regulations lists the information a provider must hold about the people it employs: proof of identity with a recent photograph, a DBS check where required, evidence of conduct in previous care roles and why they ended, a full employment history with any gaps explained, relevant qualifications, and information about fitness for the role. Incomplete staff files are a common finding.
Is the CQC assessment framework changing?
Yes. CQC has consulted on draft sector-specific assessment frameworks, including one for adult social care, which bring back key lines of enquiry and rating characteristics. ProRota ties each check to the underlying regulation rather than to one version of the framework, so your evidence carries over when the framework changes.
Does ProRota replace our care planning system?
No. ProRota covers the workforce and governance side of CQC: staffing, recruitment, training, supervision, incidents, policies and audits. Care plans, medicines records and daily notes stay in your care management system and can be linked as evidence.
Is CQC readiness only for registered providers?
No. It works for registered providers preparing for inspection and for providers preparing to register, with a registration readiness checklist. Book a demo to see it.
One platform, every regulator you answer to
CQC readiness is a management tool covering workforce and governance evidence. It does not constitute legal or regulatory advice, does not predict a CQC rating, and does not replace your care management system. Refer to CQC's current guidance and the Regulations.
Registering with CQC, or expecting an inspection?
Book a demo and we will set up your locations, training matrix and staff files in ProRota, and walk you through the registration or inspection checklist.
- A walkthrough of the CQC readiness dashboard
- Your training matrix and staff file checklist mapped into ProRota
- Support whether you are registered or preparing to register