Care homes choose software to prepare for CQC inspections by testing four things. The tool has to audit records that the care management system stores. Templates have to be editable in-house, not by the supplier. Every finding needs an owner, a due date, and proof it was fixed. And the supplier has to pass the home’s own data checks, because no audit software is CQC-approved and that assurance is the provider’s to make.
CQC itself carries out inspections, not audits. The software runs the internal audits a care home uses to meet Regulation 17 and stay ready for those inspections.
- Do Care Homes Need Separate Software For CQC Audits?
- What Should Software For CQC Audits Do in a Care Home?
- Can Audit Templates Be Changed When CQC Changes What It Asks For?
- How Does Audit Software Prove a Care Home Acted On a Finding?
- Are There Any CQC-Approved Audit Software?
- What Should a Care Home Ask About Data, Security and Procurement?
- What Should a Care Home Ask During a Demo?
- How Does GoAudits Help Care Homes Run CQC Audits?
Do Care Homes Need Separate Software For CQC Audits?
Most care homes end up using both because care management systems are built to record care rather than audit it. Care planning platforms and eMAR systems hold care plans, medication records, and daily notes. Auditing those records is a different job.
Care providers describe built-in audit modules in consistent terms: a checkbox tool rather than an auditing system, too many clicks for floor staff, and small changes that have to go to the supplier’s developers.
Test the module first: can a registered manager build an audit, score it, assign an action, and compare six months of results without calling the supplier?
What Should Software For CQC Audits Do in a Care Home?
Software for CQC audits should carry a check from scheduled audit to closed action. Five capabilities decide whether a tool does that:
- Editable templates for medication, infection control, care plans, premises, and staff files
- An offline mobile app for the staff to complete checks anywhere in the home
- Photo and signature evidence attached to the individual check, not the whole report
- Scheduling with reminders, so every audit has an owner and a due date
- Reporting that compares results over time, and across homes for multi-site providers
Which audits belong in the programme is a separate decision from which tool runs them. Start from a care home audit checklist.
Can Audit Templates Be Changed When CQC Changes What It Asks For?
Yes, care homes can change their audit templates outright themselves the same week guidance changes. Supplier-locked content is the most common reason an audit programme drifts out of date.
Confirm with the vendor who can edit a template, how long a change takes, and whether edits are charged for. A supplied CQC inspection checklist is a starting point, not a finished programme.
How Does Audit Software Prove a Care Home Acted On a Finding?
Internal audit software evidences action by linking each finding to a named owner, a due date and a record of what was done. Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires providers to assess, monitor and improve quality, so an audit that records a problem and stops is incomplete.
Inspectors look at the loop rather than the score. A care home should be able to show a finding from three months ago, who completed the action raised against it, and the re-check that confirmed the problem was resolved.
How Do You Stop Staff Marking Actions Complete When Nothing Has Changed?
Care homes close that gap by requiring evidence at completion instead of a tick. A photograph, a signature or a short note gives the registered manager something to check, and overdue actions should escalate automatically.
Are There Any CQC-Approved Audit Software?
No audit software is CQC-approved, because the Care Quality Commission inspects services rather than approving the tools they use. CQC’s guidance on digital record systems states that it does not endorse any system, and that providers must assure themselves that a system lets them meet the regulations.
One national scheme does exist, and it covers something else. NHS England’s assured solutions list assesses digital social care record systems, which hold care records rather than audits.
What Changes For Providers Inspected by the Care Inspectorate, CIW Or RQIA?
The evidence a provider needs stays broadly the same across the four UK regulators, and the framework names change. Services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland answer to the Care Inspectorate, Care Inspectorate Wales and RQIA, so templates must match the right framework.
What Should a Care Home Ask About Data, Security and Procurement?
A care home should settle four points before signing: where the data is stored, what security certification the supplier holds, who can see what, and what happens to the records on exit. Audit records name residents and staff, which makes most of the content special category data under UK GDPR.
Ask for ISO 27001 certification, Cyber Essentials status, and Data Security and Protection Toolkit submission by name, rather than a general assurance that data is secure. Confirm in writing that audit records belong to the care home, and check the export formats. If a local authority monitors the contract, ask whether one report can be shared with a commissioning officer without giving that officer an account.
What Drives the Cost of Software For CQC Audits?
The price of software for CQC audits usually tracks the number of users and sites rather than the number of audits. Watch for features placed on higher tiers, such as single sign-on, and for suppliers that charge for template edits.
What Should a Care Home Ask During a Demo?
Run the demo on the home’s own checklist rather than the supplier’s sample audit. Hand over one real audit, ask the supplier to build it live, then ask a deputy manager who is not confident with technology to complete it on a phone.
What are the Warning Signs That an Audit Tool Will Add Admin?
The clearest warning sign is a tool that duplicates records staff already keep elsewhere. Watch for template changes that have to go through the supplier, reports that need rework in Excel, and audits that take longer on a phone than on paper.
How Does GoAudits Help Care Homes Run CQC Audits?
GoAudits care home audit software used by UK care providers for CQC compliance audits, mock inspections and governance checks, alongside the care system they already run.
- Care audit templates built with care compliance experts and editable by the provider
- Photo and signature evidence captured on a phone or tablet, including offline
- Corrective actions with an owner, a due date, and a record of what was done
- Multi-home reporting, so a regional lead sees every service in one view
- GoAudits is ISO 27001 certified, ensuring information security management
» Case Study: Careville, a UK nursing and care staff provider, cut report production from half a day to 10 minutes using GoAudits. They update their own audit criteria as CQC requirements change. Choosing software for care home audits comes down to one test: can the home prove, on any day an inspector asks, that a problem was found, fixed, and checked.
