Social care providers, both homecare and residential are under increasing pressure to deliver safe, effective and person-centred care. With an ageing population and rising complexity of needs, auditing has become a cornerstone of quality assurance and regulatory compliance.

Audits have long moved from being a tick box exercise and moved to a structured review of care practices and the introduction of digital audit tools are helping providers ensure they meet the Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards and continuously improve the services they offer.

Why audits are essential?

• They ensure everyday care practice and protocols are aligned with the CQC Framework and regulations which in turn ensure compliance and avoid enforcement action from the CQC.
• They help identify potential issues such as medication errors, safeguarding concerns or gaps before they escalate into serious incidents. As part of their inspection, CQC will want assurance of risk management being used to identify and mitigate issues before they escalate and audits can be a large part of this evidence.
• Utilising the findings from the audit can help drive continuous improvement, enhance care delivery and meet the needs of the people receiving care and support.
• To demonstrate accountability to families, commissioners and inspectors but they also help to build and increase trust and confidence with everyone involved.
• Ensure that care environments are safe, clean and responsive to individual needs which in turn reduces harm and improves wellbeing.
• To streamline processes, reduce duplication and improve documentation through regular reviews and feedback loops.
• Provide clear, structured evidence during CQC inspections or local authority reviews, showing that your service is well-led and responsive.
• Aid the organisation in developing a culture of openness, learning and accountability where staff feel empowered to raise concerns and suggest improvements.
• Ensure resources are used effectively and ethically, especially in areas like staffing, equipment and procurement.

What audits to complete?

There are often many conversations around the audits required in social care, and I thought I would explore some of the core audits, aligned with CQC regulations that I think need to be incorporated into your audit plan. It is important to remember, you only need audits that are relevant to your organisation and service type.

1. Governance and Compliance (Regulation 17)

• Quality and safety monitoring
• Risk assessments and mitigation
• Continuous improvement processes
• Feedback from service users and staff

2. Person-Centred Care (Regulation 9)

• Care plans tailored to individual needs
• Evidence of involvement in care decisions

3. Dignity and Respect (Regulation 10)

• Observations and feedback on respectful treatment

4. Consent (Regulation 11)

• Documentation of consent for care and treatment

5. Safe Care and Treatment (Regulation 12)

• Medication audits
• Incident and accident reports
• Infection control checks

6. Safeguarding (Regulation 13)

• Safeguarding referrals and outcomes
• Staff training records

7. Nutrition and Hydration (Regulation 14)

• Meal plans and dietary assessments
• Monitoring of food/fluid intake

8. Premises and Equipment (Regulation 15)

• Maintenance logs
• Health and safety checks

9. Complaints Handling (Regulation 16)

• Complaints log and resolution tracking

10. Staffing (Regulation 18)

• Training and supervision records
• Staffing levels and rota audits

11. Fit and Proper Persons (Regulation 19)

• Recruitment checks
• DBS and reference audits

12. Duty of Candour (Regulation 20)

• Incident records

The free downloadable audit tracker is available here, covering all the areas listed above, with pre-filled CQC regulation references and suggested audit frequencies.

How digital auditing tools are supporting providers

In today’s fast-paced environment, paper-based audits and scattered spreadsheets can slow down your ability to respond and with the move to digital solutions, auditing should be no difference. Audit on Cloud by InvictIQ is a centralised digital audit platform designed specifically for social care providers aimed to streamline the auditing process, stay inspection-ready and focus more time on delivering quality care. With customisable templates, regulator-aligned prompts and real-time oversight, it offers a simple yet powerful way to manage audits across services. Some of the benefits I have found using a digital auditing tool are:

• Being able to set recurring audits with built-in reminders so nothing gets missed, whether it’s monthly medication checks or annual reviews.
• The ability to visualise trends, spot risks and share insights with my team (and inspectors).
• Using pre-built audit templates aligned with CQC regulations as well as being able to customise own.
• Assign audits, track completion and follow up on actions

As the demands on social care providers continue to grow, auditing is now a vital tool for ensuring safe, effective and person-centred care, alongside ensuring regulatory compliance and evidence for inspections. Digital audit solutions are streamlining audit processes and supporting providers to evidence the actions taken, providing feedback loops and ensuring audits are aligned with current regulations.