CQC Single Assessment Framework vs the New Sector Frameworks: Which One Applies to Your Service?

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If you are responsible for CQC compliance, you may be preparing for two frameworks at once.

The CQC Single Assessment Framework (SAF) remains the framework providers need to work with now. At the same time, the Care Quality Commission is piloting new sector-specific assessment frameworks through October 2026. The pilot will be evaluated in November, with implementation expected towards the end of the year.

The planned change is significant:

  • The current 34 quality statements will move to structured Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs).
  • The five CQC key questions will remain central.
  • Numerical or percentage-based scoring will be dropped from the new approach.
  • Ratings will rely more on structured evidence, rating characteristics and professional judgement.
  • Providers will need to show not only that processes exist, but how care is experienced and what outcomes are achieved.

This guide explains what applies to your service and what you can do now.

What is the CQC Single Assessment Framework?

The CQC Single Assessment Framework is the current CQC assessment structure for regulated health and social care services.

It is organised around five key questions:

  1. Safe
  2. Effective
  3. Caring
  4. Responsive
  5. Well-led

Under these questions sit quality statements. They describe what good care looks like and connect to the regulations that CQC considers when reaching its judgements.

The framework also uses evidence categories to help inspectors assess quality and performance. Evidence can come from a range of sources, including records, conversations, observations, feedback and information provided by the service.

You can read the current CQC assessment framework guidance and CQC’s wider assessment guidance.

For now, the SAF remains important. If your service is inspected before the new framework is implemented, you should continue preparing against the current framework and the evidence relevant to your service.

What are the new sector-specific frameworks?

CQC has developed four draft sector-specific frameworks:

  • Adult social care
  • Mental health care
  • Primary care and community services
  • Hospitals, including secondary and specialist care

The purpose is to make assessment more relevant to the type of care being delivered. A care home, GP practice and independent hospital do not operate in the same way. Their risks, evidence and outcomes are different.

A sector-specific framework should give inspectors a more focused structure for assessing each type of service.

CQC’s consultation on the draft frameworks has closed. The frameworks are now being piloted through October 2026, followed by evaluation in November. Implementation is expected towards the end of 2026, although providers should check the latest CQC communications before making major changes.

Read the CQC information about the draft sector-specific assessment frameworks.

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The main differences at a glance

Area Current CQC Single Assessment Framework New sector-specific frameworks
Structure Five key questions and 34 quality statements Five key questions with structured KLOEs
Focus Shared quality expectations across services Questions tailored to each CQC-regulated sector
Evidence Evidence categories, quality statements and regulations KLOEs, rating characteristics, outcomes and people’s experience
Ratings Current CQC rating approach Professional judgement supported by rating characteristics
Scoring Existing assessment and rating methods Numerical or percentage-based scoring removed from the new approach
Application Current framework for providers now Draft frameworks being piloted before implementation

The five key questions are not disappearing. They remain the main organising structure.

The important change is what sits underneath them and how evidence is interpreted.

What happens to the 34 quality statements?

Under the current SAF, the 34 quality statements provide a common structure for considering the quality of care.

The new frameworks replace those statements with structured KLOEs. These are direct questions that help inspectors examine whether a service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led in a way that reflects its sector.

The exact KLOEs and supporting content may differ between frameworks. This means an adult social care provider should not assume that a framework designed for hospitals or primary care will apply in the same way.

The change also affects how you organise evidence.

Instead of treating compliance as a long list of statements to tick off, you will need to connect:

  • What your service does
  • Why you do it
  • How people experience it
  • What records and feedback show
  • How you identify and respond to risk
  • How you learn and improve

This is a more useful way to prepare, but it requires clear links between your policies, daily practice and outcomes.

Which framework applies to your service?

The right framework depends first on your regulator and service type.

Adult social care providers

Care homes, domiciliary care, supported living and other adult social care services should continue using the current SAF while preparing to review the draft adult social care framework.

Your evidence should cover areas such as:

  • Safe staffing and medicines practice
  • Person-centred care
  • Consent and choice
  • Safeguarding
  • Governance and oversight
  • Learning from incidents and complaints
  • People’s involvement in their care

Primary care and community services

GP practices, community services and relevant independent providers should monitor the draft primary care and community services framework.

The evidence you prepare should reflect your service model. This may include access, clinical governance, safe systems, continuity, patient involvement and communication.

Hospitals and specialist services

Hospitals and specialist providers should review the draft hospitals framework when preparing for the transition. Clinical quality, staffing, safety systems, patient experience and leadership evidence will remain important, but the questions and expectations will be more closely linked to the hospital setting.

Children’s homes and other Ofsted services

Children’s homes are regulated by Ofsted, not CQC. The CQC Single Assessment Framework does not replace the Ofsted framework for these services.

Children’s services should continue preparing against the relevant Ofsted requirements, including the Social Care Common Inspection Framework and Children’s Homes Regulations. The CQC changes may still be relevant if your organisation also operates a separate CQC-regulated service.

Clinical aesthetics and independent clinics

The framework that applies will depend on the services you provide and how they are regulated. A clinic providing regulated activities may fall under a CQC framework relevant to independent healthcare or primary care.

Check your registration position carefully. If you are unsure, seek specialist guidance rather than relying on a general comparison.

What should you do now?

You do not need to rewrite every policy before the new frameworks are final.

A measured approach will help you stay ready without creating unnecessary work.

1. Confirm your regulator and service category

Start by identifying whether your service is regulated by CQC, Ofsted or another body.

If you operate more than one service, map each service separately. Do not assume that one framework applies across your whole organisation.

2. Keep preparing under the current SAF

Until CQC confirms the changeover, keep your current inspection preparation active.

Review your evidence against the five key questions and the quality statements that apply to your service. Check that your policies are current and that staff can explain how they work in practice.

You can use the CQC assessment framework as your current reference point.

3. Create a simple crosswalk

Once you have your current evidence organised, compare it with the relevant draft sector framework.

A crosswalk can show:

  • The current quality statement or evidence area
  • The related draft KLOE
  • The evidence you already hold
  • Any missing or weak evidence
  • The person responsible for the next action
  • The date for review

This helps you identify gaps without starting again.

4. Focus on outcomes and people’s voices

The new approach places greater emphasis on what people experience and the outcomes achieved.

Capture clear evidence of:

  • People’s views and preferences
  • Changes in wellbeing or independence
  • Feedback from families and representatives
  • Complaints and compliments
  • Actions taken after incidents
  • Improvements made through learning
  • Staff understanding of people’s needs

A policy alone will not demonstrate that a service is well-led or responsive. You need to show how the policy affects daily practice.

5. Prepare managers for structured questions

Registered Managers, Responsible Individuals and clinical leads should be ready to explain how their service meets each key question.

Practise answering questions such as:

  • How do you know people are safe?
  • How do you respond when something goes wrong?
  • How do you measure the quality of care?
  • How are people involved in decisions?
  • What have you improved recently?
  • How do you know the improvement has worked?

Our AI Compliance Assistant can provide instant UK-specific guidance aligned with CQC key questions. When a question needs more detailed judgement, it can connect you with a human compliance specialist.

You can also explore mock interview and compliance support options.

6. Watch for confirmed updates

The draft frameworks may change during the pilot and evaluation process. Avoid treating a draft document as the final position.

Use a reliable update process to track:

  • CQC announcements
  • Published framework changes
  • Consultation outcomes
  • Implementation dates
  • New guidance for your service type
  • Changes to evidence expectations

Futuregen’s live regulatory updates provide a regular CQC and Ofsted digest, so you can review relevant changes without searching multiple sources.

How Futuregen can support the transition

Framework changes are easier to manage when your guidance, evidence and preparation are connected.

Futuregen combines an AI Compliance Assistant with human specialist support. You can ask a practical compliance question and receive an immediate UK-specific answer. If the issue needs professional judgement or further detail, the conversation can be escalated to a specialist.

Support includes:

  • AI guidance aligned with CQC key questions
  • Ready-to-use policy and procedure packs mapped to the SAF
  • Checklists for inspection preparation
  • Mock interviews for managers and clinical leads
  • Saved conversations and evidence planning
  • Live CQC and Ofsted regulatory updates
  • Specialist escalation when automated guidance is not enough

The platform is designed to support both the current framework and a planned transition to more sector-specific preparation. You can create an account when you are ready.

Clinical team working together in a hospital setting

The practical answer: prepare for both, but do not panic

The CQC Single Assessment Framework still matters.

For most providers, the sensible approach is to:

  1. Continue preparing against the current SAF.
  2. Keep evidence organised under the five key questions.
  3. Review the draft framework for your sector.
  4. Map existing evidence to the new KLOEs.
  5. Capture people’s experiences and outcomes clearly.
  6. Prepare managers to explain practice with confidence.
  7. Monitor CQC updates before making major changes.

The move from 34 quality statements to structured KLOEs should make assessment more focused. The removal of numerical scoring should also place more emphasis on the quality and relevance of evidence, rather than treating compliance as a calculation.

Your service does not need to wait for the final framework to improve readiness. Keep your current evidence accurate, build a clear view of your strengths and gaps, and use specialist support when you need it.

That approach keeps you prepared for inspection now while giving you a practical foundation for the framework changes expected later in 2026.

This article provides general information and is not a substitute for advice from CQC, Ofsted or a qualified regulatory specialist. Always check the latest official guidance for your service.