Resources

CQC policy templates and audit checklists

Free, adaptable CQC policy templates for regulated independent providers. Each core template is paired with an audit checklist that follows the records and questions a CQC inspector is likely to sample. Start with the written policy, then test whether the evidence behind it is current, owned and complete. For adaptation, not adoption unchanged.

For the wider picture, what CQC governance documents are covers which documents you need and how they map to Regulation 17.

Which policies does a CQC-registered service need?

There is no single fixed list. What a service needs depends on its regulated activities, its service type and its setting, which is why the selector below builds a shortlist from what you actually do. But a core set applies to almost every CQC-registered provider, and a smaller set is specific to your sector.

The core set covers the ground CQC returns to at every inspection: good governance, safeguarding, safe care and treatment, medicines, consent and mental capacity, safe recruitment, complaints, and record keeping. These are the cross-cutting policies below, and each maps to a statutory duty under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 regulations, for example Regulation 12 safe care and treatment, Regulation 13 safeguarding and Regulation 17 good governance. Those duties, and the five key questions the policies are organised around, do not change under the drafts covered in CQC's proposed 2026 assessment framework, so a policy set built on them survives the transition.

The one thing a template cannot do is prove itself. A written policy is the standard you set; CQC tests whether it operates in practice, through records, ownership, review dates and outcomes. That is why each core template here is paired with an audit checklist that follows the evidence an inspector samples. Start with the policy, then test the trail behind it.

Not sure which you need?

Which CQC policies does my service need?

The 51 cross-cutting policies below apply to most CQC-registered providers; which ones you need depends on your service type and setting. Pick your service type to see the sector-specific templates Verivius adds on top.

Cross-cutting policies

51 policies that apply to most CQC-registered providers, grouped by subject; which ones you need depends on your service and setting. Free to download and adapt. Core topics link to a matching audit checklist where one is published, so you can test the policy against the records CQC follows. The last-reviewed date is on every template page.

Governance and oversight15 policies covering governance and oversight.
Clinical safety5 policies covering clinical safety.
People and care14 policies covering people and care.
Workforce and training8 policies covering workforce and training.
Information governance2 policies covering information governance.
Premises and environment7 policies covering premises and environment.

Sector packs

Example policies written for a specific kind of service, grouped by sector. Read them free here; download the PDF with a short form.

Adult social care5 example policies for adult social care services.
Ambulance5 example policies for ambulance services.
Dental5 example policies for dental services.
Dermatology5 example policies for dermatology services.
Diagnostic imaging5 example policies for diagnostic imaging services.
Domiciliary care8 example policies for domiciliary care services.
GP6 example policies for gp services.
Independent specialist doctor5 example policies for independent specialist doctor services.
Ophthalmology6 example policies for ophthalmology services.
Patient transport5 example policies for patient transport services.
Private clinic5 example policies for private clinic services.
Sexual health5 example policies for sexual health services.
Termination of pregnancy5 example policies for termination of pregnancy services.
Travel clinics5 example policies for travel clinics services.

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Move from policy wording to a live evidence trail

A policy sets the standard. Verivius gives you the registers, ownership, review dates and audit history to show whether that standard is operating. Start free and use these templates alongside your live incident, complaint, risk, audit, training and improvement records.

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Want a Verivius consultant to help adapt these to your service?

The templates are free to download and adapt. A Verivius consultant (an ex-CQC inspector) can review your adapted versions 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.

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Last reviewed 19 July 2026