The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The CQC makes sure health and social care service providers – such as Dorset HealthCare – offer people safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care. It carries out regular inspections and provides reports on standards of care, and progress since its previous report. 

To fully understand the experience of people who use services, the CQC always asks the following five questions of every provider and service: 

  • Is it safe? 

  • Is it effective? 

  • Is it caring? 

  • Is it responsive to people’s needs? 

  • Is it well-led? 

The CQC awards a rating following an inspection. This is based on a combination of what the CQC finds at inspection, what people tell the CQC, and information gathered from the Trust. Ratings are then awarded on a four point scale, and a provider may be rated as 'outstanding', 'good', 'requires improvement' or 'inadequate'. 

Any person, partnership or organisation (including NHS trusts) who provides regulated activity in England must be registered with the CQC. Dorset HealthCare is registered with the Care Quality Commission without any restrictive conditions. You can read more about registration with the CQC on the CQC website. 

CQC inspections of Dorset HealthCare 

Dorset HealthCare is rated ‘outstanding’ by England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals after making significant improvements to the quality of services for patients. 

A team of inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited in 2019 to check the quality of four mental health and two community health care services, as well as reviewing our management and leadership. 

As a result our Trust is now rated as ‘outstanding’ for being caring and well led, and is rated ‘good’ for safe, effective and responsive. This moved us up from our previous overall rating of ‘good’. See the report.