Overall CQC ratings to be reintroduced

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is proposing to reintroduce overall care quality ratings for trusts, and put more weight on “expert professional judgement”, in an overhaul of its assessments.

HSJ reported in June that the regulator had begun phasing out overall ratings for trusts and foundation trusts, which had previously been used as a key barometer of organisational success.

This was part of a major change to its assessment regime, decided last year under the CQC’s previous leadership, but given little publicity at the time. Instead, at organisational level, trusts receive only a “well led” rating.

But a consultation now issued proposes reversing this and states: “We are aware of the challenges of appropriately reflecting the quality and leadership of an NHS trust in a single well-led rating. We know that many of our stakeholders placed value on our previous overall quality rating for NHS trusts, and the previous structure of trust-level ratings.”

The approach decided last year has so far only been applied to a small number of trusts, but has led to situations where some sites or services are significantly upgraded or downgraded, with no impact on the overall “well led” rating.

Reviving overall trust quality ratings is one of several proposed reversals to changes introduced under the previous chief executive, Ian Trenholm. 

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 16 October 2025