The Care Quality Commission (CQC) made significant changes to its registration process for new providers from 9 February 2026. These changes affect anyone applying to register a care home, supported living service, or domiciliary care agency in England.

The headline message is simple: applications must be complete, accurate, and inspection-ready from the moment they are submitted. CQC will no longer go back and forth with applicants to chase missing documents. If your application is incomplete, it will be returned or rejected.

This article explains what has changed, what it means for different service types, and what providers should do to prepare.

Why did CQC make these changes?

Following an independent review by Dr Penny Dash in 2024, it became clear that CQC had built up a serious backlog of registration applications. A key cause was the time being lost chasing incomplete submissions. The new rules are designed to cut that backlog, speed up decision-making, and ensure that only genuinely prepared providers enter the system.

The Core Change: No More Second Chances

Before 9 February 2026, if an application was missing documents or contained errors, CQC would typically contact the applicant to ask for the missing information. This created delays for everyone involved.

Under the new rules, that process has ended. CQC will now routinely return or reject applications at the point of submission if they are incomplete or inaccurate. Missing documents will not trigger a clarification process — the application will simply be closed.

This applies to all new registrations, including care homes, supported living services, domiciliary care agencies, providers offering specialist services for autistic people or people with a learning disability, and providers applying for more than one regulated activity.

What Has Changed for Each Service Type

Care Homes

Care home applicants must now submit additional documents alongside the standard requirements. These include a detailed business plan, evidence of suitable premises (including a building control completion certificate — if this cannot be provided when requested, the application may be refused), a staff training plan, and key governance policies covering safeguarding, complaints, incident reporting, and medication management.

Some documents should not be sent with the initial application but must be ready to provide quickly if an inspector requests them. If they cannot be supplied promptly, the application may be delayed or refused.

Supported Living Services

Supported living is a distinct model from a care home. People live in their own tenancy and receive personal care support separately from their housing. CQC now expects applications to reflect that clearly — a generic care home template will not be accepted.

New mandatory documents include a Statement of Purpose that accurately describes the supported living model, evidence of legal occupancy arrangements such as tenancy agreements or letters of intent, a relevant business plan, a structured training plan, and policies specific to the supported living context, including lone working and community access.

Domiciliary Care (Home Care) Agencies

Domiciliary care providers were already subject to changes introduced in July 2025, when CQC moved to a two-stage registration process. The February 2026 updates raise the bar further.

Applications must now include a detailed Statement of Purpose specific to the home care model, a business plan demonstrating financial viability and operational readiness, comprehensive governance policies, a training schedule covering mandatory and role-specific training, and evidence that the Registered Manager and Nominated Individual meet the fit and proper person requirements.

A common mistake is submitting one generic set of policies that does not clearly distinguish between home care and supported living. Where a provider is applying for both, documents must address each model separately.

Specialist Services: Autism and Learning Disability

Providers planning to support autistic people or people with a learning disability face the most significant additional requirements. Documents that were previously considered best practice are now explicit registration requirements for any application submitted from 9 February 2026.

Providers must submit a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) policy, a restraint and restrictive practice policy, an accessible information and communication policy, and evidence of staff training in learning disability and autism, including compliance with Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training.

CQC is clear about what a PBS policy must contain. It should demonstrate a proactive and preventative approach, not a reactive one. It must include de-escalation strategies, set out clear guidelines for when and how restrictive interventions may be used, show a genuine commitment to reducing and eliminating restrictive practices over time, and reference relevant legal frameworks including the Mental Capacity Act and the least restrictive principle.

Generic PBS policies that do not reflect the specific context of learning disability or autism support are a common reason for rejection. CQC expects alignment with current best practice, including NICE Guideline NG11.

On 17 February 2026, CQC also published updated guidance on services for autistic people and people with a learning disability (a revision of the former ‘Registering the Right Support’). The core principle remains unchanged: autistic people and people with a learning disability are entitled to live an ordinary life, and services must be designed around that.

Documents to Have Ready (But Not Submit)

CQC has clarified that some documents should not be included with the initial application but must be available quickly if an inspector asks for them. These include a full list of risk assessments (covering lone working, medication, manual handling, environmental risks, safeguarding, restrictive practice, and fire safety), a person-centred care planning policy, a reportable incidents policy, and a business continuity plan.

Having these documents ready signals to CQC that your governance is genuinely in place, not something you are still building.

The Bigger Picture

The February 2026 changes sit within a much larger programme of reform at CQC. The regulator has been rebuilding its credibility following the troubled rollout of its Single Assessment Framework in 2024. CQC completed over 50% more inspections in November 2025 compared to November 2024 and is targeting 9,000 published assessment reports by September 2026.

A new sector-specific framework for adult social care is expected to go live by the end of 2026. It will replace the current merged framework, return to evidence-based assessment guided by professional judgement, and introduce clearer rating characteristics. This is broadly positive news for providers — but it also means the regulator is more active than it has been for some time, and the likelihood of inspection is higher.

What Should Providers Do Now?

Before you apply, define your service type clearly and make sure your documents reflect it accurately. Write a genuine, service-specific business plan and Statement of Purpose. Develop all mandatory policies from scratch, or review existing ones to ensure they are current and consistent. If you are providing specialist learning disability or autism services, make sure your PBS and restraint policies are robust before you submit anything.

Before you hit submit, check that all documents are in the correct legal name of the provider entity, that they are consistently labelled and well-organised, and that there are no contradictions between your Statement of Purpose, business plan, staffing plan, and policies.

Final Thoughts

CQC’s message is clear: registration is no longer a gateway you pass through and then build your service around. It is an early test of whether you are genuinely ready to provide safe, effective, and well-led care.

For providers who approach registration with thorough preparation and a real governance infrastructure in place, these changes are manageable. For those who submit generic or incomplete applications, the consequences are more serious — a rejected application, a delay to opening, and having to start again.

Getting your registration right first time is the best foundation for a good long-term relationship with your regulator.

This article is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute legal or regulatory advice. Providers should refer directly to CQC guidance and seek specialist advice where needed. Information is accurate as of March 2026.