How Insurance Supports
CQC Ratings for Domiciliary Care

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Use your insurance programme to evidence that your service is Safe, Well-led and financially resilient in the eyes of CQC.

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Insurance programmes aligned with CQC’s view of “Safe” & “Well-led”

  • Allianz
  • Aviva
  • QBE
  • RSA
  • Zurich
  • NIG

USING INSURANCE TO SUPPORT STRONGER CQC RATINGS

Insurance Won’t Win You “Outstanding” on Its Own – But It Can Help You Prove It

CQC does not rate your insurance policy directly – but inspectors want to see that you understand your risks, protect people if things go wrong and have a sustainable, well-governed business behind the care you deliver.

A well-structured insurance programme, clearly linked to your risk assessments and governance, can support your narrative under Safe and Well-led, and show commissioners and families that you are serious about managing risk, learning and resilience.

How CQC Looks at Risk, Governance & Insurance

Linking your insurance programme directly to the five key questions and quality statements.

Insurance & “Safe” / “Effective”

  • Medical malpractice and professional indemnity show you recognise clinical and care risks.
  • Employers’ and public liability demonstrate protection for staff, service users and visitors.
  • Personal accident and income protection can support a stable, safe workforce.
  • Cyber insurance reinforces the security of digital care records and medication information.
  • Clear incident and claims reporting supports learning from mistakes and near-misses.
  • Policy limits linked to your risk profile show that “reasonably foreseeable” harm is considered.

Insurance & “Well-led” / “Responsive” / “Caring”

  • Boards and owners using insurance as part of formal risk and governance discussions.
  • Management liability cover supporting accountable leadership and decision-making.
  • Insurance arranged after structured risk assessments, not just chasing the cheapest premium.
  • Complaints, claims and near-misses feeding into quality improvement planning.
  • Cover that reflects your specific client group – dementia, learning disability, complex care, etc.
  • Using insurance partners as an external “critical friend” on risk and resilience.
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Financial Resilience & Business Continuity

Showing CQC and commissioners that your service can withstand shocks and still deliver care.

Protecting the Service Behind the Care

  • Business interruption cover to support continuity after insured property damage.
  • Cyber business interruption if critical systems or care records are taken offline.
  • Key person and management liability cover to protect leadership transitions.
  • Professional advice cover if your service supports other providers or micro-providers.
  • Clear understanding of what events are and are not covered – no unrealistic assumptions.

How This Links to CQC & Commissioning

  • Evidence that you have considered how you would continue care after serious incidents.
  • Supports narrative around contingency planning in tenders and service reviews.
  • Helps reassure commissioners that you are not “one event” away from closure.
  • Shows that finance and quality are both considered in board discussions.
  • Forms part of your “Well-led” evidence on understanding and managing risk.
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Practical Ways to Use Insurance in Your CQC Story

Turn your insurance documents from a tick-box into usable inspection evidence.

1. Align Covers with Your Risk Assessments

  • Map each key risk area (medication, moving & handling, lone working, safeguarding, digital) to relevant insurance covers.
  • Ensure policy descriptions match the actual services you provide and client groups you support.
  • Check limits reflect worst-case reasonable scenarios (e.g. multiple service users affected).
  • Review exclusions and conditions alongside your clinical and operational policies.
  • Use your broker’s feedback to strengthen existing risk assessments and procedures.

2. Build Insurance into Governance & Quality Meetings

  • Include insurance and claims as a standing item in governance or quality meetings.
  • Discuss trends in incidents and near-misses with your broker at renewal.
  • Use claims learning to update policies, training and risk control measures.
  • Keep a simple log showing how insurance insights have led to improvements.
  • Share key points with frontline teams so they understand why reporting matters.

3. Prepare an “Insurance Evidence Pack” for CQC Visits

  • Current schedule of insurance showing types of cover and limits.
  • Brief explanation of how each cover supports Safe & Well-led.
  • Summary of any significant past claims and what has changed since.
  • Details of how you check staff have their own cover (where required).
  • Evidence that insurance is reviewed at least annually by senior leadership.

4. Use Insurance to Support Staff & Culture (“Caring”)

  • Explain to staff how insurance protects them as well as service users.
  • Consider personal accident or well-being benefits as part of your offer.
  • Use clear policies to show staff they will be supported if they raise concerns.
  • Embed a “just culture” where incidents are reported, not hidden.
  • Demonstrate to CQC that staff feel safe to speak up and that learning is shared.
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Who Can Benefit from Linking Insurance to CQC Ratings?

Any organisation where CQC, commissioners or funders expect a structured approach to risk.

Domiciliary & Community Care Providers

  • Homecare and domiciliary care agencies (single-site and multi-branch).
  • Live-in care providers and complex care-at-home services.
  • Palliative and end-of-life care teams delivering care at home.
  • Supported living and outreach services inspected under CQC.
  • Micro-providers wanting to demonstrate professionalism to funders and families.

Leaders, Owners & Governance Roles

  • Registered Managers and Nominated Individuals.
  • Directors, partners, trustees and board members.
  • Quality, compliance and governance leads.
  • Finance managers asked to balance cost with risk.
  • New providers preparing for CQC registration and first inspection.
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At our last inspection the CQC inspector commented on how clearly our insurance, risk register and learning from incidents all linked together. Insure24 helped us build that story in a way that made sense to the board and the frontline team.

Registered Manager, Domiciliary Care Provider

TURN YOUR INSURANCE PROGRAMME INTO
EVIDENCE FOR SAFE & WELL-LED CQC RATINGS

WHY DOMICILIARY PROVIDERS USE INSURE24 FOR CQC-ALIGNED INSURANCE

  • Specialist focus on homecare, community care and supported living.
  • Understanding of CQC expectations and commissioning requirements.
  • Ability to map policies directly to your risk register and quality plans.
  • Plain-English summaries you can show to inspectors, boards and staff.
  • Support with renewal timing so insurance reviews feed into annual planning.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Does CQC give us a better rating just because we have insurance?

No. CQC does not “score” you on the size of your insurance policy. However, inspectors do look at how you understand and manage risk. Having appropriate insurance, clearly linked to your risk assessments and governance, can support the evidence you present under Safe and Well-led.

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What insurance documents will CQC want to see?

Inspectors commonly ask for evidence of employers’ liability, public liability and professional/clinical cover, plus any relevant vehicles or premises insurance. Providing a clear schedule along with a brief explanation of what each policy covers can make this part of the visit much smoother.

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Is there a specific insurance policy CQC insists on?

CQC does not approve specific policies or insurers. Instead, it expects you to have “suitable and sufficient” insurance for the regulated activities you carry out. Insure24 helps you choose covers and limits that are appropriate for your service type, size and client group.

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Can good insurance compensate for poor care practice?

No. Insurance does not replace safe, compassionate care or strong leadership. It is there to protect your organisation and the people you support if things go wrong despite good practice. CQC will always focus first on the quality of care, culture and leadership in your service.

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How often should we review our insurance in relation to CQC?

At least annually at renewal, and whenever you make significant changes – such as new client groups, higher-dependency packages, new locations, digital projects or major contract wins. Linking this review into your governance cycle shows CQC that you treat risk management as an ongoing process.

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Should we mention insurance in our Provider Information Return (PIR)?

You do not need to list every policy, but it can be helpful to reference how you use insurance as part of your approach to risk, learning from incidents and financial resilience – particularly in the Well-led and Safe sections of your PIR or other pre-inspection information.

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Can you help us prepare an insurance summary for inspectors or commissioners?

Yes. Insure24 can provide clear schedules and plain-English summaries that explain how your insurance supports your risk management. Many providers keep this in a folder ready for CQC visits and contract reviews.

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How does insurance interact with our risk register and incident reporting?

Your risk register should inform what insurance you buy, and claims and near-misses should feed back into the register and improvement plans. We encourage providers to treat incidents and insurance not as separate worlds, but as part of the same learning cycle.

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Will changing insurer negatively affect our CQC rating?

No – CQC is not concerned with which insurer you use. What matters is that your cover is appropriate, understood and actively managed. When switching insurers, we help you avoid gaps and keep documentation clear for inspections and audits.

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How do we start aligning our insurance with our CQC plans?

Start by sharing your current policies, risk register and any recent inspection reports with Insure24. We’ll identify gaps, suggest improvements and help you build a simple story that connects your insurance to your Safe and Well-led evidence.

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