- Protect and improve your CQC rating
- Specialist mental health expertise
- Practical. Direct. Effective.
ASC & Community Mental Health
Getting you more than ready for CQC inspection
We help small and medium-sized providers delivering Adult Social Care for people with Mental Health needs build sustainable services and competent teams that consistently achieve Good and Outstanding CQC ratings.
Under the revised framework inspectors are asked
to apply a different assessment methodology
when rating a provider
Document compliance will account for a smaller proportion of the overall rating, with your day-to-day practice taking centre stage.
Your governance folder still has to be up to par. But no matter how shiny your policies and care plans may be, in the AI era they amount to only a fraction of what informs your inspector’s judgement of your service.
Your rating will predominantly come from what the inspector sees, hears, feels, smells and thinks when walking the floor.
And that comes down to the human touch. To the level of competent care delivered by your team and the vibe — internal and external — your service gives inspectors long before they cross the threshold.
AKA: the culture.
Because you cannot achieve positive outcomes for people with complex mental health conditions who require calm, caring environments if your staff are stressed, carers keep changing and the RM is permanently firefighting crises.
Long before the inspection, your CQC inspector already has a picture of your service — from your notifications, safeguarding concerns raised by external partners, staff whistleblowing, and complaints from people using the service or their relatives.
Depending on what that picture says, your job on inspection day is either to confirm it — if you already look good — or drastically change it by showing why you deserve Good despite worrying signals.
And here is where we distinguish ourselves from generic CQC consultancy firms
We have the 360° Mental Health & ASC sector expertise and CQC ASC Inspector insight into the new framework
We help providers build services and teams that make Good ratings a confirmation of everyday practice, rather than a frantic chase to pass an inspection unscathed.
And because CQC may not return for years to correct an RI rating even after you have made significant improvements, it is imperative to get it right now.
How do you get Good across all 5 domains
And how do we help you get there
The Map
We’ve built an easy to navigate map with clear signposts each step of the way, and gave it a memorable acronym.
- FFind your gaps before CQC does
- AAct to fix them in order of priority
- SStabilise improvements until they become second nature in your service
- TThrive. Dedicate your time and resources to delivering good care and expanding your business. A Good rating is now your reward instead of an aspiration.
Find
Tell us where you are now and what your priorities are
Good — with 4 years + since last assessment
“We want to make sure we are inspection ready and keep our rating.”
Order your Focussed Mock Inspection
Requires Improvement — with 3 years + since last assessment
“We’ve made significant improvements but want to make sure they pass the test.”
Order your Focussed Mock Inspection
Not yet rated — but due an inspection anytime soon
“We think we have our house in order but don’t want to take the risk.”
Order your Focussed Mock Inspection
Outstanding — with 5 years + rating and several changes that impacted our service
“We’d like a pair of fresh eyes to help us uncover our blind spots.”
Order your Focussed Mock Inspection
Wherever you are, we stress-test your service, identify the gaps, and tell you exactly what needs improving ASAP.
Inadequate, facing enforcement, or working through a live CQC Action Plan? Go straight to ACT.
Go to ActHow it works — Find
Four simple steps
Order your Focussed CQC Mock Inspection
A Focussed CQC-style desktop Mock Inspection. We know where to look to spot the gaps and give you a fast, actionable report.
We contact you within one working day
We arrange a mutually convenient video meeting to discuss your service, your concerns and your priorities.
You send us the agreed evidence securely
We agree the evidence sample and you upload it through an encrypted route.
Within five working days of receiving the evidence
We present a clear picture of what CQC is likely to find, the areas most likely to affect your rating, what needs correcting and the order in which we recommend you tackle it.
You can implement the findings yourself, or enlist our specialist support and move to the next stage: ACT.
Order your Focussed CQC Mock Inspection
Find
What’s included
Focussed evidence review of the essential care delivery standards that will determine your CQC rating, and of your private and commissioned contracts.
Order your Focussed CQC Mock Inspection
Act
Fix what is putting your service and your rating at risk
Most mock inspections tell you what is wrong.
We show you why it is happening and how to fix it.
Need a topical intervention?
Act now
RM / NI 1:1 Regulatory & Operational Support
Focused senior support for Registered Managers, Nominated Individuals and provider leaders dealing with real operational and regulatory problems.
Specialised Mental Health Staff Training
In-person, applied training for teams supporting adults with complex mental-health needs — building safer judgement, stronger engagement and practice that gives CQC the evidence of a Good service.
Help staff understand what behaviours communicate, build rapport with people considered “hard to engage”, and produce risk assessments, care plans and notes that evidence genuinely person-led care.
Book essential MH staff training
Develop staff capability across complex mental-health presentations, trauma, neurodiversity, psychotropic medication, human rights and effective multi-agency working.
Book full day training
CWS Mental Health Support for Care Staff & Registered Managers
When your staff are struggling, your CQC ratings suffer the consequences.
Many Requires Improvement or Inadequate ratings are due to staff and Registered Managers who are physically present while cognitively and emotionally drained. Poor workforce mental health appears as missed warning signs, medicines errors, safeguarding concerns, inconsistent care, weak oversight, absence and turnover — affecting Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led.
We provide specialised mental-health support for care staff and Registered Managers before pressure becomes an incident, resignation or rating failure.
Stabilise
Keep the gains. Catch the drift. Stay inspection-ready.
Making an improvement is easier than sustaining one.
Old habits die hard.
Thrive
End of Year Gala
With Awards in Your Achievements
And a Social Media Pack to showcase them
When good practice has become second nature in your service, you can finally move to the thrive phase in your business.
Inspection readiness is now a consequence of your stabilised service and no longer an aspiration.
Instead of treading water and putting out fires, you are finally free to dedicate your time and resources to expansion.