Happy Monday. Welcome to the first edition of The Care Operator — the briefing for people who run care businesses.
Three times a week, we'll cut through the noise and give you the 3–5 things that actually affect your business. No waffle. No jargon. Just what you need to know and what to do about it.
Let's get into it.
🔴 CQC chair gone after less than a year
Professor Sir Mike Richards resigned as CQC Chair on 6 February — less than a year after being appointed. He's staying on until a replacement is found, but the timing is brutal. The CEO, Sir Julian Hartley, resigned in October over the Leeds maternity scandal. The interim CEO, Dr Arun Chopra, is holding the fort.
That means the CQC now has no permanent Chair and no permanent CEO.
Why this matters to you: Richards was leading the overhaul of the Single Assessment Framework — the system that determines how your service gets rated. He confirmed that specialist sector teams are now in place and a consultation response on the new assessment approach is coming soon. The question is whether that momentum continues with new leadership, or whether we're looking at another 12 months of regulatory limbo.
What to do: Nothing immediate. But if you've been waiting on a CQC inspection or re-rating, expect continued delays. Keep your evidence portfolio up to date so you're ready whenever they do turn up.
📋 New CQC registration rules are live — and they're stricter
As of 9 February, CQC has raised the bar for new registration applications. If you're registering a new domiciliary care agency, supported living service, or specialist LD/autism service, you now need to submit a much more complete set of documents upfront.
This includes: a defined staffing model, structured induction and training schedules, PBS and restraint policies (for LD/autism), a financial viability statement, and governance frameworks — all before you apply. Documents like risk assessments and person-centred care planning policies don't need to be submitted, but must be ready on request.
Why this matters to you: If you're planning to expand into a new location or add a service type, your documentation needs to be inspection-ready from day one. CQC will reject incomplete applications rather than chase missing paperwork.
What to do: If you have a registration application in progress, check it against the new requirements immediately. If you're planning to register in the next 6 months, start building your governance pack now. The days of "register first, sort the paperwork later" are over.
💰 LDSS training funding is running out — claim now
The Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS), funded by DHSC and administered by NHS BSA, is still open for 2025/26 — but Skills for Care has warned that demand is high and the funding pot is limited. Once it's gone, it's gone. Claims must be submitted within 3 months of course completion.
Eligible costs include training for non-regulated care staff, deputy managers, CQC-registered managers, and agency staff.
What to do: If you've had staff complete eligible training courses this year, submit your claims now at skillsforcare.org.uk. Don't sit on them. And if you're planning training for Q4, get it booked and completed before the end of March.
📊 Council CQC assessments: the scorecard this week
CQC published several local authority adult social care assessments this month. Here's the snapshot:
Oldham — Rated Good. Praised for person-centred approach and strong safeguarding.
Swindon — Upgraded to Good on review. Originally missed by a single point; challenged the decision and won.
Westmorland & Furness — Requires Improvement, but one point off Good. Strong partnerships and leadership noted.
Hackney — Requires Improvement. Residents waiting up to two years for care needs assessments.
Kirklees — Published an improvement plan covering eight themes including waiting times and workforce practice.
Why this matters to you: These assessments signal what CQC is prioritising when it looks at local authorities: waiting times, person-centred planning, workforce stability, and partnership working. If your council gets a "Requires Improvement" rating, expect commissioning teams to tighten contract monitoring and push providers for better data on outcomes. If your council gets "Good," it's a sign of a stable commissioning environment — which means more predictable referrals and less churn.
📢 Tender alert: Harrow domiciliary care framework
London Borough of Harrow is commissioning a new home care and reablement framework for adults 18+ and children/young adults with disabilities. The framework runs from September 2026 to August 2029, with potential extension to 8 years total.
Multiple lots covering Harrow West, Central, and East for adult reablement, plus a borough-wide lot for children and young adults with disabilities. Awards via e-brokerage with a taxi-rank approach based on tender scores.
Regions: London (Harrow) Deadline: Check Find a Tender — reference DN773056 Value: Not disclosed, but multi-year framework
What to do: If you operate in northwest London and deliver domiciliary care or reablement, register on Find a Tender and download the documents. Even if Harrow isn't your patch, this is a signal that London boroughs are refreshing their home care frameworks — check your own borough's commissioning pipeline.
⚡ One thing to action this week
Review your NIC exposure. The employer National Insurance increase (1.2% plus reduced threshold to £5,000) hit in April 2025, and the £665m indirect cost to local authorities is working its way through the system. If you haven't renegotiated your rates with your local authority since then, you're absorbing costs you shouldn't be. Pull your current fee schedules and compare them against your actual staffing costs post-NIC. If there's a gap, raise it with your commissioner this week — don't wait for the next contract review.
That's your week. Wednesday we'll go deeper on one topic. Friday we'll round up what you might have missed.
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— The Care Operator