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Check Your CQC Policy Compliance — Free Checker for UK GP Practices

Tick off the policies CQC inspectors expect at a GP, dental, or primary care service. Get a compliance score, see which key question each gap maps to, and export as CSV.

0 of 24 CQC-relevant policies in place

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Compliance score reflects coverage of policies CQC inspectors expect at GP / dental / primary care services. It does not assess content quality or whether policies are reviewed within stated timeframes — both are part of Regulation 17 governance.

Safeguarding Adults Policy

Regulation 13 (Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment)SafeReview: Annual or after any safeguarding incident

Safeguarding Children Policy

Regulation 13; Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023SafeReview: Annual or after any safeguarding incident

Chaperone Policy

Regulation 13; GMC Good Medical PracticeSafeReview: Annual

Mental Capacity Act and DoLS Policy

Mental Capacity Act 2005; Regulation 11 (Need for consent)EffectiveReview: Annual

Infection Prevention and Control Policy

Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment); Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of PracticeSafeReview: Annual or after IPC incident or guidance change

Cleaning Schedules and Decontamination Policy

Regulation 12; Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of PracticeSafeReview: Annual

Prescribing Policy (including repeat and high-risk drugs)

Regulation 12; Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001SafeReview: Annual or when prescribing guidance changes

Medicines Storage and Security Policy

Regulation 12; Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973SafeReview: Annual

Vaccine Management / Cold Chain Policy

Regulation 12; UKHSA Green BookSafeReview: Annual

Recruitment Policy (DBS, references, right-to-work)

Regulation 19 (Fit and proper persons employed)Well-ledReview: Annual or when DBS / employment law changes

Staff Induction Policy (including locums)

Regulation 19Well-ledReview: Annual

Training and Continuing Professional Development Policy

Regulation 18 (Staffing); CQC training expectationsEffectiveReview: Annual

Data Protection and Confidentiality Policy

Regulation 17 (Good governance); UK GDPR; Data Protection Act 2018Well-ledReview: Annual or after any data breach or ICO guidance update

Information Security Policy

Regulation 17; UK GDPRWell-ledReview: Annual

Subject Access Request Procedure

UK GDPR Article 15; Data Protection Act 2018ResponsiveReview: Annual

Data Breach Response Plan

UK GDPR Articles 33-34Well-ledReview: Annual or after any breach

Complaints Policy

Regulation 16 (Receiving and acting on complaints); NHS Complaints ProcedureResponsiveReview: Annual or after framework changes

Significant Event Analysis (SEA) Policy

Regulation 17Well-ledReview: Annual

Duty of Candour Policy

Regulation 20 (Duty of candour)CaringReview: Annual

Health and Safety Policy

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974; Regulation 12SafeReview: Annual or after incident or premises change

Business Continuity Plan

Regulation 17Well-ledReview: Annual

Emergency Drugs and Equipment Policy

Regulation 12; Resuscitation Council UK Quality StandardsSafeReview: Annual

Clinical Audit Policy

Regulation 17EffectiveReview: Annual

Consent Policy

Regulation 11 (Need for consent)EffectiveReview: Annual

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How to Use This Checker

Tick each policy your GP, dental, or primary care service has in place. The progress bar shows your CQC compliance score across the 24 policies inspectors expect to find at a primary care service. When you have worked through the list, click “Show assessment” to see which policies are missing and which of CQC’s five key questions each gap maps to.

Filter by category to focus on specific regulation areas: Safeguarding (Reg 13), Infection Prevention & Control (Reg 12), Medicines Management (Reg 12), Staffing & Recruitment (Reg 19), Information Governance (Reg 17), Complaints (Reg 16), Health & Safety, and Clinical Governance. Add notes for your own records and export the full checklist as CSV.

How the Five Key Questions Map to Policies

CQC inspectors assess GP practices against five key questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. Policies do not sit only under Well-led — although that is where governance lives. Each policy evidences one of the key questions. A safeguarding policy evidences Safe. A complaints policy evidences Responsive. A consent policy evidences Effective. The duty of candour policy evidences Caring. The Regulation 17 governance system that holds them all together evidences Well-led.

For more on how Regulation 17 works in practice and what inspectors actually check, see CQC Policy Requirements: What Inspectors Actually Check.

What This Tool Does Not Tell You

The checker confirms coverage — whether each expected policy exists. It does not assess whether your policies are current (last reviewed within stated cadence), approved (with an evidenced approval record), or known (staff aware of current versions). All three are part of Regulation 17 governance and all three are tested at inspection — by an inspector following a thread from a key question into the policy and the staff who follow it.

For review-cycle guidance across CQC, Ofsted, the Charity Commission, and council audit, see How Often Should Policies Be Reviewed? UK Guide for Regulated Organisations.

Methodology and Sources

The 24 policy categories are derived from CQC published inspection guidance for GP practices and from the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Each policy is mapped to the primary regulation that requires it, plus any secondary regulations or published guidance referenced by inspectors:

Last updated: April 2026. Reflects regulations and CQC guidance as published. Always check the latest CQC guidance for changes between updates.

This tool provides general guidance for UK organisations. It is not legal advice. Always check the specific requirements of your regulator.