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CQC

Care Quality Commission

The CQC is the independent regulator of health and adult social care services in England.

Updated 12 October 2026 (1 minute read)

Summary

  • It registers and inspects hospitals, GP practices, care homes, dentists and ambulance services.
  • It rates each service as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.
  • It can issue warnings, restrict what a service does or close it.
  • It regulates organisations. Individual doctors are regulated separately.

Interview questions

  • What does the CQC do?
  • A hospital is rated inadequate. What should happen next?
  • Do inspections improve care?

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Cases that turn on it

ADHD and autism overdiagnosis debate Autonomy Far more people in England are diagnosed with ADHD and autism than 25 years ago. People disagree over whether ordinary difficulties are being given medical labels, or people who were missed for years are at last being recognised. A government review reported on 9 October 2026 that it could not show overdiagnosis on a large scale, partly because the data are out of date. It wants help to be given on need, without waiting for a diagnosis. Corridor care in NHS hospitals Autonomy Corridor care means looking after patients in corridors, waiting rooms and other parts of a hospital never built for it, because every bed is full. The government and NHS England both call it unacceptable. NHS England still counted about 3,300 patients a day in September 2026. Edenfield Centre abuse scandal Autonomy The Edenfield Centre is a secure mental health unit in Manchester whose patients are not free to leave. In 2022 a reporter working there undercover filmed staff mocking and mistreating them.

More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.