CQC mock inspection · Care providers and NHS
CQC Mock Inspection and Readiness Review for Care Homes and Health Providers
An independent review of how your safeguarding, dementia care and governance arrangements work in daily practice, carried out by practitioners who have led services under CQC scrutiny. We test your evidence the way an inspector might, then agree a clear plan for the changes that matter most.
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What is a CQC mock inspection?
A CQC mock inspection is an independent review that tests a service against what CQC inspectors will examine, before they visit. Most providers already have the policies inspectors ask for. The difficulty is showing that those policies shape what happens every day. A PMH review combines a safeguarding policy review with an honest look at dementia care practice and governance oversight, followed by a clear plan for the changes that matter most.
PMH does not promise a particular rating. Ratings are decided by CQC. Our role is to help you understand where you stand and strengthen the practice that inspectors will examine.
What the review covers
What does a PMH mock CQC inspection look at?
Each review focuses on the areas where PMH has specialist expertise. Findings are mapped to the CQC key questions of Safe and Well-led, and to the safeguarding and dementia care aspects of Effective and Responsive.
Safe · Well-led
Safeguarding governance and practice
We test whether safeguarding works in daily practice, not only on paper: how concerns are recognised, raised and acted on, and whether accountability runs from leadership to the frontline. Our review uses PMH's Governance to Frontline™ framework.
Safeguarding consultancySafe · Effective · Responsive
Dementia care and restrictive practice
We look at how dementia care is planned and delivered, how consent and best interests decisions are made, and whether any restrictions on people are necessary, proportionate and reviewed. Person-centred care is examined in practice, not only in care plans.
Dementia care consultancyWell-led
Leadership and governance oversight
We review how leaders know what is happening in the service and how they act on it, drawing on PMH's Improvement and Compassion Fatigue™ framework, which is grounded in trauma-informed practice.
Improvement and Compassion Fatigue™When providers contact us
When should you book a mock CQC inspection?
- A CQC inspection is expected and leaders are not confident that practice matches policy
- A recent CQC rating has identified concerns that need to be addressed
- A warning notice has set out specific breaches and a timescale for change
Facing a warning notice or re-inspection deadline?
A warning notice, enforcement action or a re-inspection deadline can feel overwhelming. It is also a situation many providers have worked through successfully.
In these cases PMH starts with a focused review of what inspectors will examine: the concerns already raised, the evidence you hold and how practice looks on the ground. From there we agree a small number of clear priorities, so your team can concentrate its effort where it will make the most difference.
Who it is for
Mock inspections for care homes, NHS and home care providers
Care homes and care home groups
Registered managers and nominated individuals who want an independent view of safeguarding and dementia care practice across one home or a group of services.
NHS trusts and independent hospitals
Safeguarding, nursing and quality leads who need assurance that ward-level practice reflects trust policy, particularly for people living with dementia.
Domiciliary care and supported living
Services where care is delivered in people's own homes, where oversight is harder and safeguarding decisions often rest with individual staff.
Preparing for CQC's new assessment framework in 2026
In March 2026 CQC consulted on new sector-specific assessment frameworks to replace the single assessment framework. The drafts keep the five key questions (Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led) and the four ratings, but replace the 34 quality statements with key lines of enquiry. CQC plans to bring the new frameworks into use from the end of 2026.
Whatever the framework, inspectors still test whether safeguarding, dementia care and leadership work in practice. That is what a PMH mock inspection examines.
Reviewed by PMH Consultancy and Education, October 2026. Check cqc.org.uk for the latest guidance.
CQC mock inspection
CQC mock inspection: frequently asked questions
Talk to PMH about a CQC mock inspection
Tell us about your service, your last inspection and any deadlines you are working to. A senior consultant will contact you to discuss a readiness review.
Original methodology developed through decades of practice
Evidence-based frameworks that deliver measurable outcomes
Senior consultants who created the models they implement