The Back & Forth of CQC: Is the Single Assessment Framework Already on Its Way Out?
KLOEs went. Quality Statements arrived. Now KLOE-style questions are coming back.
For health and social care providers who have spent the last few years adapting policies, audits, governance systems and evidence to CQC's Single Assessment Framework (SAF), another significant change is underway.
Following its Better regulation, better care consultation, CQC is developing four sector-specific assessment frameworks, signalling a move away from the one-size-fits-all approach of the SAF.
So, what is actually changing — and should providers start preparing now?
1. One framework is becoming four
Instead of applying essentially the same overarching assessment framework across very different services, CQC has developed four frameworks covering:
Adult social care
Mental health care
Primary care and community services
Hospitals, secondary and specialist care
The familiar five key questions — Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led — will remain.
The major change is what sits underneath them.
CQC's official update:
CQC – Our March Update
2. KLOE-style questions are coming back
Under the SAF, the old Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) were replaced by 34 Quality Statements. CQC is now moving towards structured Key Lines of Enquiry questions within its new sector-specific frameworks but this should not be viewed simply as a return to the old CQC inspection model. The new questions are being developed around today's regulatory expectations and tailored more closely to individual sectors.
In simple terms: KLOEs are returning — but in a redesigned form.
3. Numerical scoring is proposed to go
Another major SAF feature is also expected to disappear. CQC has proposed removing the numerical scoring methodology and returning to more direct rating judgements supported by Rating Characteristics. Those characteristics will help describe what:
🟢 Outstanding | 🟢 Good | 🟠 Requires Improvement | 🔴 Inadequate
look like in practice. This potentially places greater emphasis on the quality of evidence and professional judgement rather than providers focusing heavily on numerical scores.
4. Don't throw away your SAF folders yet
This is the important part. The current SAF has not simply disappeared overnight. CQC has been piloting and testing its developing methodology during 2026. Providers should therefore continue maintaining evidence against the current regulatory approach until CQC formally implements the replacement arrangements. The safest strategy is therefore:
Comply with today's framework while preparing your systems for tomorrow's.
SAF vs The Developing CQC Framework
| Area | 🔴 Current SAF | 🟢 Developing Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Single framework | 4 sector-specific frameworks |
| Key Questions | Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led | Same 5 retained |
| Assessment | 34 Quality Statements | KLOE-style structured questions |
| Scoring | Numerical scoring methodology | Proposed removal |
| Rating Characteristics | Limited role | Greater role |
| Provider priority | Maintain current compliance | Prepare evidence for transition |
What should providers do now?
Do not rebuild your entire compliance system based on draft arrangements.
Instead:
Continue collecting evidence against current CQC requirements.
Review whether your audits and governance systems actually demonstrate compliance in practice.
Identify systems built exclusively around the 34 Quality Statements.
Organise evidence so it can easily be remapped to the new framework.
Address existing weaknesses in safeguarding, medicines, staffing, training, risk and governance now.
Prepare to migrate once CQC publishes the final framework applicable to your sector.
The terminology may change. Your evidence still matters.
Whether CQC calls them KLOEs, Quality Statements or structured questions, the underlying regulatory challenge remains largely the same. A policy does not prove compliance if staff do not follow it. A training certificate does not necessarily prove competency. An audit does not demonstrate good governance if identified actions remain outstanding. A complaints procedure does not demonstrate learning unless improvements can be evidenced. Ultimately, providers need to be able to demonstrate:
Requirement → Implementation → Evidence → Outcome → Improvement
That is what a robust compliance system should achieve regardless of the framework surrounding it.
Is Your Service Ready for Another CQC Change?
If your policies, audits, evidence folders and governance systems have been built entirely around the SAF and 34 Quality Statements, now is the right time to review how adaptable they are — not necessarily to rebuild them. QMADS can review your current compliance arrangements, identify gaps and help prepare your evidence systems for CQC's changing assessment methodology.
📱 WhatsApp us with “CQC FRAMEWORK” + your service type
or
📅 Book a consultation with a QMADS CQC Consultant
Don't wait for the framework to change before discovering that your compliance systems haven't.
Compliance Check
Ask yourself:
☐ Are our policies current and implemented?
☐ Can we evidence compliance across all five key questions?
☐ Do our audits result in completed improvement actions?
☐ Can staff demonstrate competency, not just training?
☐ Can we evidence learning from incidents, complaints and safeguarding?
☐ Could our existing evidence be reorganised under a new CQC framework?
Several “No” or “Not Sure” answers? Speak to QMADS about a CQC Framework Readiness Review.
Real-Life Context
CQC's own assessment programme demonstrates how its methodology has continued to evolve. Providers have already had to transition from the previous KLOE-based inspection model to the SAF and Quality Statements; CQC is now testing its next sector-specific approach.
The lesson is straightforward: assessment frameworks change, but poor governance, weak safeguarding, inadequate staffing, unsafe medicines management and ineffective risk controls remain regulatory concerns regardless of what CQC calls the framework.
Further information:
CQC – Improving How We Work
Summary
CQC is changing direction again. The Single Assessment Framework's universal approach is giving way to four sector-specific frameworks, KLOE-style questions are returning, Rating Characteristics will play a greater role, and numerical scoring is proposed to disappear. However, providers should continue complying with the current framework while preparing their evidence and governance systems for transition.
How can we help you?
Send QMADS a WhatsApp message with “CQC FRAMEWORK” and your service type, or book a consultation to review your current compliance position and transition readiness.