Caring for Care

CQC inspections often hinge on one thing: how safely and consistently medicines are managed day‑to‑day.

Most medication errors in care settings come down to gaps in training, documentation, or storage - exactly the areas CQC focuses on during inspections.

This carousel breaks down the 5 essentials CQC expects to see in safe medication practice:
👉 Staff training and competence
👉 Accurate MAR charts
👉 Safe storage and controlled drugs
👉 Mental capacity and consent
👉 Medication incident management and proper documentation

Save it for your next medication audit and share it with your team. Strong systems protect people long before an inspector arrives.

If your service needs support with medication training or updates, we’re here to help.

We analysed over a decade of published CQC ratings across England's health and social care providers.

Here's what stood out:

📊 77% of providers are rated Good or Outstanding overall — but quality isn't consistent across the board.

📉 The pandemic hit hard. Ratings peaked at 94% in 2017, fell to a low of 41% in 2023, and have only recovered to 66% so far in 2026.

🚩 "Safe" is the weakest domain by far — 98% of providers rate well for Caring, but only 65% do for Safe. In 2023, Safe bottomed out at just 23%, and even now sits at 58%, still trailing every other domain.

🗺️ Regional gaps persist too. South East leads at 84% Good/Outstanding, while East of England sits at 70%.

🏥 By setting, community health services rate highest (89%), ambulance services lowest (68%).

📊The trend is clear: care quality is improving, but unevenly. Safe remains the area most in need of focused investment.

Practical, hands‑on training helps close that gap. Join over 30,000 health and social care professionals gaining safer, more consistent practice through our courses.

If you're serious about strengthening your service, our mock CQC inspection will help identify any significant gaps before an official inspection. Enquire today.

Enquire Now: 🌐 https://caringforcare.co.uk/contact-us/

Is safeguarding training on your 2026 to-do list—but keeps getting pushed back? 🗓️

Our Safeguarding Open Courses run throughout the year via live, trainer-led Zoom sessions, with expert instructors covering key areas including Designated Safeguarding Lead, Safeguarding for Named Professional, Safeguarding Train the Trainer, and Senior Leaders training.

With dates available through to December, there’s a course to suit different roles, responsibilities, and learning needs.

Prefer to train your whole team together? We can also arrange face-to-face in-house training delivered at your workplace.

Some courses already have limited spaces available, so secure your place before dates fill up.

Find a date that works for you: 🌐 caringforcare.co.uk

⭐ Success Stories ⭐ There’s no better measure of great training than the feedback from the teams we work with.

Our on-site training continues to equip teams across the UK to build confidence, strengthen skills, and stay fully compliant.

👉Swipe through to read what organisations have said about their experience, from interactive, hands‑on sessions to knowledgeable trainers who make learning relevant and enjoyable.

From mandatory and clinical skills to specialist courses, medication, fire safety, conflict management and more - we support teams with training that’s practical, relevant, and built around your service.

📍 Onsite training delivered at your workplace, anywhere across the UK.

Have you trained with us? We'd love to hear about your experience in the comments. 👇

Medication errors remain one of the most common risks in care - and many can be prevented with stronger knowledge and regular checks.

We’ve created a free Medication Admin Knowledge Check to help your team quickly review their understanding across five essential areas:

1️⃣ Legislation & Principles
2️⃣ Safe Administration Practice
3️⃣ Storage, Handling & Disposal
4️⃣ Covert Medication & Special Circumstances
5️⃣ Side Effects & Adverse Reactions

This quick knowledge check is ideal for care homes, domiciliary care, supported living services, and clinical teams looking for a simple way to assess knowledge, highlight learning gaps, and support safer medication practice.

📥 Get our free knowledge check and give your team a quick, structured way to review their understanding and build confidence in safe medication administration.

👉Access Our Free Knowledge Checklist (PDF) Here: https://mailchi.mp/b6c775fc0235/medication-checklist.