Resources
Procedure and audit checklists
Practical audit and readiness checklists for independent CQC-regulated services, written around what an inspector looks for. Use them to self-check a single area, in a team meeting, or before an inspection. Each is a starting point to adapt, not a guarantee of compliance.
Browse by area
19 checklists covering what every CQC-registered service has to get right, grouped by area. Each carries a printable PDF to download and adapt for your service.
Inspection readinessStart here: the whole-service self-check across all five key questions, before an inspection.
Clinical safetySafe care and treatment: medicines, infection control, vaccines and safe visits.
Reg 12
CQC medicines management audit checklist
A cross-sector medicines audit checklist for CQC-regulated providers, focused on records, storage, administration, controlled drugs, incidents and audit.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 12
Care home medicines audit checklist
A care home medicines audit checklist for MAR, controlled drugs, covert administration, homely remedies, antimicrobial use and pain management.
Adult social care and care homes
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Reg 12
Primary care prescribing and medicines audit checklist
A GP and clinic audit checklist for safe prescribing, PGDs, high-risk drug monitoring, controlled drugs, antimicrobial stewardship and cold chain.
Primary care, GP practices and clinics
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Reg 12
Infection prevention and control procedure checklist
A practical infection prevention and control checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on hand hygiene, cleaning, PPE and outbreak readiness.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 12
Vaccine storage and cold chain checklist
A cold-chain audit checklist for small CQC-regulated services that store or administer vaccines, mapped to what an inspector looks for.
GP, travel clinics and private clinics that hold vaccines
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Reg 12
Missed and late visits checklist
An audit and readiness checklist for domiciliary care services to evidence safe handling of missed and late visits.
Domiciliary and home care services
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Governance and oversightRunning a safe, well-led service: incidents, risk, continuity, notifications and candour.
Reg 17
Incident reporting and learning procedure checklist
A practical incident reporting and learning checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on recording, investigation, candour and shared learning.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 17
Risk management and risk register procedure checklist
A practical risk management checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on identifying, scoring and tracking risks on a live risk register.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 12
Business continuity and emergency preparedness procedure checklist
A business continuity and emergency preparedness checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on planning, roles, service recovery and testing.
All CQC-registered providers
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Notifications
Statutory notifications procedure checklist
A practical statutory notifications checklist for CQC-regulated independent providers: trigger recognition, submission evidence and governance learning.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 20
Duty of candour procedure checklist
A practical duty of candour checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on threshold decisions, apology, written follow-up and evidence.
All CQC-registered providers
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People and careCare that respects people: consent and capacity, safeguarding and complaints.
Reg 11
Consent and mental capacity procedure checklist
A practical consent and mental capacity checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on capacity assessment, best interests and recording consent.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 13
Safeguarding adults procedure checklist
A practical adult safeguarding checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on referral routes, records, actions and learning.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 16
Complaints handling procedure checklist
A practical complaints handling checklist for CQC-regulated independent providers under Regulation 16: access, response quality, evidence and learning.
All CQC-registered providers
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Workforce and trainingA safely staffed, competent team: recruitment, training and supervision.
Reg 18 & 19
Staffing and safer recruitment procedure checklist
A staffing and safer recruitment checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on safe staffing levels, DBS, references and fitness to work.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 18
Training, competency and mandatory training procedure checklist
A practical training and competency checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on mandatory training, competency sign-off and refresher tracking.
All CQC-registered providers
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Reg 18
Supervision, appraisal and staff support procedure checklist
A supervision and appraisal checklist for small CQC-regulated providers, focused on supervision frequency, appraisal records and ongoing staff support.
All CQC-registered providers
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Information governanceAccurate records, confidentiality and data protection.
Want a Verivius consultant to help adapt these to your service?
The checklists are yours to download and adapt for your service. A Verivius consultant (an ex-CQC inspector) can work through them with you against the live regulation and your service shape; the work fits inside a Mock Inspection engagement or a shorter consulting brief. A 20-minute conversation is the fastest way to find out whether the fit is right.
Free for 14 days from when we verify your account, with no card needed to start.
Last reviewed 29 June 2026