CQC Care Home Ratings – what does it mean for your Care Home Insurance?

Many Care Home owners that we speak to are eagerly awaiting the new CQC rating system although there is always that nervous anticipation of quite how the inspection will go and of course what rating your home will receive.

When the current rating system was introduced some years back there was much more concern amongst care home owners about what effect this would have on their home. As time passed and the new system bedded in it was thrown into turmoil in 2020 when Covid-19 struck and physical inspections were unable to be carried out. Since then a hybrid of infection questionnaires, part inspections and the gradual introduction of physical inspections we are now at the dawn of the new inspection regime that will result in greater on-line reporting of data to CQC.

Insurers are using technology much more these days, fraud databases, company information, credit checks and the like have been in place for some years. Google street view is often used to “see” the Care Home and make a judgement on not only if it is of standard construction but also if it is in good condition and well maintained.

However, Insurers place great reliance on a Care Providers CQC Inspection report and this may influence the Underwriter in what terms and premium they offer.

It is really important to ensure that your records, policies and procedures and the data you provide CQC are as detailed and thorough as possible to secure a rating you are happy with but to also not adversely impact your insurance!

In recent years there have been several Insurers withdraw from quoting care homes so there are fewer Insurers now which means that if you do get anything less than a Good rating there might not be too many places to go to find insurance for your care home.

Your rating will then stay with you until the next inspection so your Insurance renewal could fall between this period and be taken into account by the Insurers. Make sure that you have your action plan available to send to your Insurance Broker so that you can demonstrate what you have done to address the improvements required following an inspection. This way your Insurance Broker will be able to make good representation on your behalf to ensure the most competitive premiums are secured for you.

Of course the best situation is to be awarded Good or Excellent and I am sure that the majority will strive to achieve this status – good luck to you all over the coming year, please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any Care Home Insurance queries.