An archive of communications regarding any CQC inspection following notification will be posted here.
10 February 2025
CQC Inspection notification received
Today, Monday 10 February 2025, we received notification that Devon County Council will be subject to a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of the delivery of its adult social care duties as set out in Part 1 of the Care Act 2014.
As you know, we have been anticipating this since the CQC started issuing notifications in December 2023.
There has been an incredible amount of work locally to prepare for this, and I want to thank everyone for all your hard work and engagement. We have also learnt a lot from other areas that have already been through the inspection process.
The inspection has been a catalyst for significant change, and I am proud to see how everyone has embraced it. Because of this, we have seen real, tangible progress and improvement. Thank you for all your continued hard work and support.
Next steps
The process from today is as follows: we have a three-week period to submit an information return to the CQC. Once this has been completed, we will receive a further notification of when the CQC plans to visit Devon. It could be up to six months from receiving today’s notification before the CQC arrives.
As we prepare for the inspectors’ visit to Devon, there will be opportunities for staff to further hone preparations and build on previous opportunities provided. A special Learning Together programme will be developed, along with additional bite-size briefings across the themes of the inspection.
I will continue to provide updates as we progress through the inspection process to ensure everyone is aware of what is happening, when and how you can access any support you might need.
There is a specific area of the reSOURCE where further staff information will be available.
What does inspection mean to me and my role?
That is one of the key questions I have heard from staff as we have been preparing for inspection. What we know is that CQC inspectors want to hear directly from staff. Not the senior leaders’ version of what staff are saying and experiencing, but directly from those delivering our Care Act duties. To facilitate this, the CQC will be arranging sessions for any member of staff to attend and talk to inspectors. I support and encourage anyone to attend those sessions as and when the CQC make the arrangements. I will ensure that as soon as we know they are happening, we will let staff know.
Any questions?
We have set up a Care Quality Commission Inspection mailbox that you can use to ask any questions or send in any comments.
You can view the communications about the 2023 LGA Peer Challenge here – this was arranged to help us prepare for a future CQC inspection.