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What our latest data tells us about factors that affect CQC ratings

31 Oct 2023

3 min read

Skills for Care

CQC
ASC-WDS

Following the release of our ‘State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report, we look at what our latest data tells us about the factors that impact Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings.

Using data from the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) and CQC-provider information we identified some of the key factors that contribute to a higher or lower CQC score, based on a scoring system we applied relevant to the CQC ratings across key areas.

Low levels of staff turnover

Establishments with a high CQC score had lower turnover rates.

Providers with the lowest CQC scores had an average turnover rate of 33.8% compared to those with the highest scores which had an average turnover of 32.2%.

Good staffing levels

Care homes with more staff in post per bed received better CQC scores on average than those with lower staffing ratios. There are no prescribed staffing levels in adult social care, however this finding demonstrates that those services that manage to maintain higher staffing ratios generally achieve better outcomes.

Lower vacancy rates

In line with higher staffing ratios, providers with lower vacancy rates also had higher CQC scores.

Establishments with lower vacancy rates, on average, received better scores. Establishments receiving high CQC scores had an average vacancy rate of 5.0% compared to a rate of 6.1% for those with the lowest scores.

Higher pay rates

Higher care worker pay was associated with better CQC scores. Care workers at the lowest scoring establishments had a median hourly rate of £10.00 compared to £10.45 for care workers at organisations with the highest score.

Investment in learning and development

Pay wasn’t the only worker incentive influencing scores. Organisations with higher levels of take up of the Care Certificate, and more training, and qualifications relevant to social care among their staff were more likely to receive better CQC scores.

At high-scoring establishments 75.3% of care workers had begun or completed the Care Certificate, compared with 70.2% at the lowest scoring establishments.

Providers with higher CQC scores also had a larger proportion of care workers who had undertaken training; 65.6% of care workers at the highest scoring establishments had training records on ASC-WDS compared with 61.6% of those at the lowest scoring establishments.

Care workers having qualifications relevant to social care was also associated with better CQC scores. At high scoring establishments 42.9% of staff had a relevant qualification compared with 40.5% the lowest scoring organisations.

Stable management

Establishments with a stable registered manager were more likely to receive higher CQC scores. The more time across the previous year an establishment spent with the same registered manager in post, the higher the CQC score was on average.

Establishments with a high score on our rating had the same manager in post for an average of 10.72 of the previous 12 months, compared to 9.75 months for those with the lowest scores.

View the full chapter on factors affecting CQC ratings in our report, starting at page 171.