A Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) sets out, in specific and measurable terms, what a provider will change, by when, and how it will prove the change has happened. Whether CQC has asked for one under Regulation 17(3) or a provider is building one proactively, the same discipline applies: evidence the problem, set a SMART action, name an owner, and show closure with data, not intention. What CQC actually means by an improvement plan CQC doesn't mandate a single document called a "QIP" for adult...

Duty of candour is not a form you complete after something goes wrong. It is a fundamental standard, one of the areas CQC pays particular attention to, and it sits at the heart of how inspectors judge whether a service is genuinely open and safe. For registered managers, that means duty of candour has to work as a live operational process, not a policy document that only gets read after an incident. This guide sets out what the law requires, how to recognise when the duty applies, and how to...

By Manu Thomas, Advanced Clinical Practitioner, CQC Specialist Advisor, NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow, NICE Associate