Returning to Good: Returning to Good is a CQC programme that re-assesses adult social care services already rated Good in all five key questions, aimed particularly at ratings that are several years old, using a streamlined set of 18 quality statements.
It exists because a rating can become stale. A service rated Good six or seven years ago may be materially different now, in either direction, and the programme checks whether the rating still reflects reality.
Eligibility is narrower than people assume. It targets services rated Good overall and in all five key questions, with a registered manager in post, no information suggesting the rating has slipped, and no ongoing enforcement, and it excludes services caring for children and those that have newly added a learning disability and autism service user band.
The emphasis is on people’s experiences and observation of care rather than documentation, though records are used to corroborate what CQC hears and sees. Preparing as though a large folder of policies is the answer misreads it.