1. What the regulation says
The registered person must give the Commission a statement of purpose containing the information listed in Schedule 3. (Regulation 12(1))
The registered person must keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose. (Regulation 12(2))
The registered person must provide written details of any revision to the statement of purpose to the Commission within 28 days of any such revision. (Regulation 12(3))
The full text is at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/3112/regulation/12 and Schedule 3 is at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/3112/schedule/3. Where this policy and the regulation diverge, the regulation wins.
2. Plain-English summary
The registered person must give CQC a Statement of Purpose that contains the information listed in Schedule 3 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. That information covers who the provider is, the aims and objectives of the service, the regulated activities and where they are carried on, the people the service is for, and the registered managers. The registered person must keep the Statement of Purpose under review, revise it where appropriate, and tell CQC in writing about any revision within 28 days of making it.
3. What this document is for
CQC asks all new provider applicants to send a Statement of Purpose. It tells CQC, inspectors and the public:
- who the provider is
- what regulated activities the provider will carry on
- where those activities will be carried on or managed from
- who the service is for
- who the registered managers are
- how the provider will keep the Statement of Purpose accurate when the service changes
The provider keeps the live Statement of Purpose under review. When it is revised, the provider tells CQC in writing about the revision within 28 days.
4. Provider details
Complete this section with the provider's legal details.
| Field | Provider entry |
|---|---|
| Legal business name | |
| Trading name, if different | |
| Legal status | <sole trader, partnership, limited company, charity, LLP or other> |
| Companies House or charity number, if applicable | |
| Registered office or principal business address | |
| Address for CQC notices and formal documents | |
| Main telephone number | |
| Main email address | |
| Website, if applicable | |
| Nominated Individual, if applicable | <name, role, email, telephone> |
| Partners, if a partnership | |
| Responsible person for this Statement of Purpose |
Before submission, check that these details match the CQC application form and any Companies House, charity or partnership records.
5. Aims and objectives
Describe the aims and objectives of the regulated activities the provider will carry on. Keep this specific to the service. Avoid generic statements such as "we provide high-quality care" unless the rest of the paragraph explains what that means in practice.
5.1 Our aims
The provider's aims are:
- <aim 1, linked to the regulated activities>
- <aim 2, linked to the people the service is for>
- <aim 3, linked to safety, governance and continuity>
5.2 Our objectives
The provider will meet those aims by:
- <objective 1, for example assessment before accepting a referral or booking>
- <objective 2, for example staffing and competency controls>
- <objective 3, for example governance, audit and learning systems>
- <objective 4, for example accessibility and communication support>
- <objective 5, for example escalation when needs move outside the service's scope>
6. Locations and regulated activities
Complete one location table for each CQC location. A location is not just a mailing address. It must be the place where the regulated activity is carried on or managed from.
Location 1:
| Field | Provider entry |
|---|---|
| Location name | |
| Full location address | |
| Location telephone | |
| Location email | |
| Type of location | <clinic, dental practice, GP practice, care home, domiciliary-care office, diagnostic centre, patient transport base, ambulance base, independent hospital, other> |
| Description of premises | <brief description, including any other uses for the property> |
| Other property uses | <none, or describe other uses such as domestic dwelling, shared professional premises, office suite or leased clinical rooms> |
| Regulated activities carried on or managed from this location | <activity 1; activity 2; activity 3> |
| Service type at or from this location | |
| Registered manager for this location |
Location 2: <location name, if applicable>
Repeat the table above for every location.
7. People the service is for
List the service-user bands or population groups the provider is asking CQC to register at each location. Do not select a group unless the provider can evidence that it can meet that group's needs.
| Location | Service-user bands or population groups | Evidence that the service can meet those needs |
|---|---|---|
| <for example whole population, older people, dementia, learning disability or autism, physical disability, sensory impairment, mental health, children, adults over 65> | <training, staffing, premises, equipment, communication support, policies and pathways> |
7.1 Specialist service-user bands
If the provider intends to support autistic people, people with a learning disability, people living with dementia, people with sensory impairment or another specialist group, explain the specific steps taken to make the service safe and accessible.
The service has considered:
- specialist staff training and supervision
- accessible information and communication formats
- environmental adaptations
- consent, capacity and best-interests processes
- positive behaviour support, restraint and safeguarding safeguards where relevant
- referral screening and exclusion criteria where the service cannot safely meet a need
The Statement of Purpose must match the Service User Guide, training plan, safeguarding policy, consent policy and any specialist policy the provider submits.
8. What the service does and does not provide
This section protects the provider and the public by making the service boundary explicit.
8.1 Regulated activities provided
The provider will carry on the following regulated activities:
| Regulated activity | Location | How the activity is delivered |
|---|---|---|
8.2 Services not provided
The provider does not provide:
- <clinical procedure, care model or support type outside scope>
Where a person's needs move outside the provider's scope, the service follows its escalation, referral and transfer arrangements.
9. Registered managers
Complete one registered-manager table for each registered manager. If the same manager covers more than one location, show the time split clearly.
Registered Manager 1:
| Field | Provider entry |
|---|---|
| Full name | |
| Job title | |
| Work telephone | |
| Work email | |
| Address for CQC notices and formal documents | |
| Regulated activities managed | <activity 1; activity 2> |
| Locations managed | <location 1; location 2> |
| Percentage of working time at each location | <location 1: percentage; location 2: percentage> |
| Job-share arrangements, if any | |
| Interim-cover arrangement during absence |
Registered Manager 2: <full name, if applicable>
Repeat the table above for every registered manager.
10. Review and CQC notification procedure
The provider keeps this Statement of Purpose under review so it remains accurate.
10.1 Routine review
The responsible person reviews this document:
- at least every
- before any application to vary registration
- before adding or removing a regulated activity
- before opening, closing or changing a location
- before changing the people the service is for
- when a registered manager joins, leaves, changes role, or changes the locations they manage
- when the provider's legal entity, address for notices or contact details change
10.2 Change control
When the Statement of Purpose needs to change:
- The responsible person records the proposed change and the reason for it.
- The provider checks the change against the application form, service-user guide, training plan, business plan, floor plan and relevant policies.
- The provider updates the Statement of Purpose.
- The provider notifies CQC in writing about the revision within 28 days.
- Where the change also requires a registration variation, the provider sends the proposed Statement of Purpose with the variation application.
- The provider keeps the superseded version in its governance records.
Operational controls to adapt
Purpose and scope
This template is for drafting, checking and maintaining the provider's Statement of Purpose. It applies to:
- the initial CQC registration application
- any variation that changes regulated activities, locations, service-user bands or registered-manager arrangements
- post-registration review of the live Statement of Purpose
- the 28-day written update to CQC when the Statement of Purpose is revised
It does not replace CQC's application forms or any CQC-issued template the provider is required to use.
Roles and responsibilities
- Provider or nominated individual: confirms the legal entity, regulated activities, locations, service-user bands and governance model are accurate before submission.
- Registered Manager: checks that the activities, locations and people supported match the operational reality for the location they manage.
- Responsible person for the Statement of Purpose: owns version control, review dates, consistency checks, CQC submission and the 28-day revision notification.
- Governance lead: checks that policies, training plans, premises documents, service-user guide and business plan support the claims made in the Statement of Purpose.
- Administrator or document controller: keeps the live version, superseded versions, submission evidence and CQC correspondence in the governance file.
Records and evidence fields
The Statement of Purpose record should include:
- live Statement of Purpose version, approval date, responsible person and next review date
- superseded versions, change log and reason for each change
- CQC submission date, method, acknowledgement and correspondence reference
- 28-day revision notification date where the Statement of Purpose has changed
- consistency-check evidence against the application form, service-user guide, training plan, business plan, floor plan and policies
- evidence supporting each specialist service-user band or population group claimed
- registered-manager coverage, time split, interim-cover and location responsibility evidence
- board, partner or provider approval where required
Audit cadence
The provider checks this document at least annually and whenever the service changes. The audit should test:
- legal entity, trading name, contact details and address for notices
- locations, regulated activities and service-user bands
- registered-manager names, locations, time split and interim cover
- whether each specialist claim is supported by staffing, training, environment, communication and policy evidence
- whether CQC was told within 28 days of any revision
- whether superseded versions and submission evidence are retained
Findings are recorded in the governance meeting or improvement-action register until complete.
Local adaptation prompts
Before adoption, replace every placeholder with local detail and answer these prompts:
- Which exact regulated activities will be carried on at each location?
- Which activities are carried on at the premises and which are managed from that location?
- Which service-user bands are genuinely supported by staff competence, premises, equipment, communication and policies?
- What will the provider decline or refer because it is outside scope?
- Who owns the 28-day CQC revision notification and how is the deadline tracked?
- Which governance record proves that the live Statement of Purpose matches the rest of the registration pack?
11. Consistency checks before submission
Before submitting this Statement of Purpose, check it against the rest of the registration pack.
| Check | Confirmed by | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Legal business name matches all documents | ||
| Locations match the CQC application and evidence of legal occupancy | ||
| Regulated activities match the application form | ||
| Service-user bands match the service-user guide | ||
| Specialist service-user bands are supported by training, premises, communication and policy evidence | ||
| Registered-manager names, activities, locations and time splits match RM application forms | ||
| Business plan and financial forecast match the declared service model | ||
| Floor plan and environment documents match the declared locations and service-user needs | ||
| Staff training plan matches the declared regulated activities and service-user bands | ||
| Complaints, safeguarding, consent, governance, IPC, medicines and other policies match the declared service model | ||
| Document has business name, responsible person, creation date and review date |
12. Related policies in this pack
- Registered Manager Policy
- Safe Recruitment Policy
- Staffing Policy
- Good Governance Policy
- Consent Policy
- Safeguarding Adults Policy
- Complaints Policy
- Service User Guide
- Positive Behaviour Support Policy
- Restraint and Restrictive Interventions Policy
13. Sources and further reading
This template is based on CQC's guidance for providers and managers, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and other topic-specific legislation and guidance listed below. It is a starting point for adaptation, not a substitute for legal, clinical, HR, safeguarding or specialist professional advice.
- Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, Regulation 12 and Schedule 3 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/3112/regulation/12 and https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/3112/schedule/3)
- Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, Regulation 12: Statement of purpose
- CQC Statement of Purpose guidance and supporting-documents guidance
- CQC registered manager application and registration guidance (Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, SI 2014/2936, Regulation 7)
- CQC Fundamental Standards
- Accessible Information Standard (where applicable)
- CQC complaints guidance (Regulation 16) where the Service User Guide is cross-referenced
Related reading
- Related policy: Safe care and treatment policy
- Related policy: Good governance policy
- Related policy: Consent policy
- Related policy: Safeguarding adults policy
- Related policy: Complaints policy
14. Document control
| Version | Date | Author | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| v1.0 | 2026-05-19 | Verivius (sample) | Initial Regulation 12 shell template. |
| v1.1 | 2026-06-07 | Verivius (sample) | Reworked into a CQC-registration-ready drafting template covering provider details, aims and objectives, locations, regulated activities, service-user bands, registered-manager details, review controls, 28-day CQC notification, and registration-pack consistency checks. |
| v1.2 | 2026-06-10 | Verivius (sample) | Conformed to the Verivius policy standard: added the verbatim "What the regulation says" block from the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 Regulation 12, a plain-English summary, the standard sources block and document control. All original sections preserved and renumbered from 3. |
| v1.3 | 2026-07-14 | Verivius (sample) | Added purpose and scope controls, owner roles, governance-file records, audit cadence, local adaptation prompts and related reading. |
This sample policy template was issued by Verivius as an example for guidance. It is a template, not a substitute for legal advice or the tenant's own registration-review process, and it is not a substitute for CQC's own templates. The provider is responsible for ensuring any Statement of Purpose it submits is accurate, current and specific to the service. Where this template and live law or regulator guidance diverge, the live source wins.