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Education Scotland

Published: 13 March 2015

The Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland have recently reviewed their collaborative working approaches for carrying out inspections in the early years and school care accommodation sectors. The previous methodology was developed by our predecessor bodies, the Care Commission and HMIE. It is important to update the methodology to better meet the requirements of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

Our new arrangements for working together will seek to maintain high levels of efficiency and effectiveness and to streamline the paperwork we request from providers. 

Changes include joint questionnaires and joint self-assessment and reporting formats. There will be a care inspector as part of the inspection teams for nursery classes in primary schools.

Children and Young People (Scotland) Act: Early Learning and Childcare

Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate will work together to support the development and expansion of early learning and childcare. 

We will continue with our current programmes of both individual and shared inspection and evaluation of services for children aged 3 to school age. In relation to the new entitlement for specified groups of 2 year olds to early learning and childcare, our shared activities will focus on building capacity in partnership with the local authorities and organisations such as the National Day Nurseries Association, Play Scotland  and the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA), as well as providers themselves.

Our collective aim is to assist in ensuring that the increased provision will be of a high quality with the focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for children and that commissioners and providers are committed to delivering flexible choices for parents. 

The Care Inspectorate will continue to inspect all daycare and childminding services for children in line with current legislation.

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Statistics and analysis

Published: 13 March 2015

We collect a wide range of statistical information about Scotland's care services.  We collect this to help us regulate services.  We also use this information to produce statistical overviews of the service types we regulate.  

We include data in our annual report and accounts, annual childcare statistics and the periodic, state-of-the-nation reports we produce.

Use the following links to find the publication you are looking for:

Childcare Statistics

Quarterly Statistical Summary Report

You can find our reports in our publications and statistics area.

Childcare Statistics

The Childcare Statistics detail the provision and use of registered daycare of children and childminding services in Scotland.  These are updated on an annual basis.  Below are links to the annual reports since 2010.

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report

The Quarterly Statistical Summary Report publication presents data on the number of registered care services, care service registrations and cancellations, complaints against care services received, registered and completed and quality theme grades all by care service type and or service sector. 

Full reports are available for download in Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) and Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format.  In addition, the data tables are available in non-proprietary Comma Separated Values (CSV) format, individually.  The provision of the data in these formats is intended to facilitate its analysis and re-use.

All content is available under the Open Government License, unless otherwise stated.  More information on this license is available at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Our Intelligence Team compile and manage the information within the Quarterly Statistical Summary Report.

For help using this or any queries relating to its content or use then please email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 1 (2024/25)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 4 (2023/24)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 3 (2023/24)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 2 (2023/24)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 1 (2023/24)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 4 (2022/23)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 3 (2022/23)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 2 (2022/23)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 1 (2022/23)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 4 (2021/22)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 3 (2021/22)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 2 (2021/22)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 1 (2021/22)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 4 (2020/21)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 3 (2020/21)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 2 (2020/21)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 1 (2020/21)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 4 (2019/20)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 3 (2019/20)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 2 (2019/20)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 1 (2019/20)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 4 (2018/19)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 3 (2018/19)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 2 (2018/19)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 1 (2018/19)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 4 (2017/18)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 3 (2017/18) - Revised

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 3 (2017/18)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 2 (2017/18)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 1 (2017/18)

Care Inspectorate Quarterly Statistical Summary Report - Quarter 4 (2016/17)

 

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Joint inspections

Published: 13 March 2015

The joint inspections are undertaken by the Care Inspectorate’s strategic inspection team who sit within the Scrutiny and Assurance Directorate. Please click here to find out more information.  

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Inspections

Published: 06 October 2014

Infection prevention and control (IPC) standards published

Healthcare Improvement Scotland has published new IPC standards that apply to health and adult social care settings

The standards will act as a key component in the drive to reduce the risk of infections in health and social care in Scotland. They will support services to quality assure their IPC practice and approaches, and the IPC principles set out in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual.

The Care Inspectorate will take account of the standards in our inspection and regulation of adult and older people’s care services including care homes.

The standards can be found here. 

Our approach to inspection and self-evaluation

In consultation with the social care sector, we have developed a self-evaluation and quality framework model based on the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Standards.  We have used this model to develop a suite of quality frameworks for different service types.

Our inspectors use quality frameworks to evaluate the quality of care during inspections and improvement planning. 

All our frameworks are available to download from the publications and statistics area or on The Hub.

The frameworks replace our previous practice of inspecting against themes and statements.  Inspectors will look select a number of quality indicators from a number of key questions to look at. 

Framework structure

The frameworks better reflect the Health and Social Care Standards and provides more transparency about what we expect. 

They set out key questions about the difference a care service makes to people’s wellbeing, and the quality of the elements that contribute to that. These include:

  • How well do we support people’s wellbeing?
  • How good is our leadership
  • How good is our staff team?
  • How good is our setting?
  • How well is our care and support planned?

Under each key question, there are three or four quality indicators, covering specific areas of practice. Each quality indicator has illustrations of what ‘very good’ quality would look like, and what ‘weak’ quality would look like. These illustrations are drawn from the Health and Social Care Standards but are not checklists or definitive descriptions. They are designed to help people understand the level of quality we are looking for.

A sixth question, ‘What is our overall capacity for improvement?’ is included in the framework to help care services in planning their improvement journey.

Each quality indicator includes a scrutiny and improvement toolbox.  This includes examples of how we might evidence the quality of care provided.  It also contains links to practice documents that will help services in their own improvement journey.

Key questions added as a result of Covid-19

In order to robustly assess  arrangements to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, our inspections are placing particular focus on infection prevention and control, wellbeing and staffing in care settings. 

We have developed a key question to augment our frameworks. We have done this to meet the duties placed on us by the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No. 2) Act and subsequent guidance that we must evaluate infection prevention and control and staffing.  

This means carry out targeted inspections that are short, focused and carried out with colleagues from Health Improvement Scotland and Health Protection Scotland, to assess care and support during the Covid-19 pandemic. We will continue to put the wellbeing for people experiencing care at the heart of our inspections.  

This additional key question has been added to our frameworks for:

  • Care homes for children and young people and school care accommodation (special residential schools)
  • Mainstream boarding schools and school hostels
  • Secure accommodation

Self-evaluation

The quality frameworks help services evaluate themselves. Self-evaluation is central to continuous improvement.  It enables care settings to reflect on what they are doing so they can recognise what they do well and identify what they need to do better.  We have published a guide to self-evaluation to support services in their improvement journey and a range of toolkits to support services undertake self-evaluation.

Where can I find out more?

The quality frameworks and key question 7's (KQ7s), and our inspection leaflet gives more information. 

Alternatively, you can contact your inspector, call us on 0345 600 9527 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

 

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Enforcements

Published: 06 October 2014

Enforcement is an essential and powerful element of the Care Inspectorates' core responsibilities and it is central to our aim of protecting service users and bringing about an improvement in the quality of care services.

We have two different types of notices that can be served against care services.

Condition Notices

A condition notice is served when the Care Inspectorate needs to change the conditions of registration of a service in order for it to operate.  If a provider wants to change their conditions of registration, they can apply for a variation.  An application for variation is not treated as “enforcement”.  Read more about variations here.

Improvement Notice

An improvement notice might be served when we have sufficient concerns about a service.  The provider must make the required improvements within a given timescale.  If not, we may pursue the cancellation of that service.  Cancelling a service is rare and we work hard with services to ensure that this is the last resort.

Urgent Proceedings 

If we believe that there is a serious and immediate risk to life, health or wellbeing, we can apply to the Sheriff Court for emergency cancellation of a service's registration or apply for changes to their conditions.

Click here to view/download the Enforcement Policy.

Read more in our Requiring care services in Scotland to improve leaflet.

 

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Notifications and record keeping

Published: 06 October 2014

Large Scale Investigation Notifications

Since 2014, adult protection codes of practice have required that the Care Inspectorate is alerted to the occurrence of large scale investigations.

This is an expectation that is directed at Local Authorities and now, by extension, HSCPs.

Please notify us on the commencement of a large scale investigation here.

Please notify us of the completion of a large scale investigation here.

Notifications and record keeping 

By law all services must tell us immediately if certain events take place. 

  • Accidents, incidents or injuries
  • Outbreak of infectious disease
  • Death of person using a care service 
  • Allegations of abuse
  • Significant equipment breakdown
  • Allegation of misconduct by a provider or employee
  • Criminal convictions resulting in unfitness of a manager
  • A provider becoming unfit
  • Absence of manager
  • Planned refurbishment/alteration/extension of premises
  • Change of registration details
  • Person living at the registered premises

We have produced comprehensive guidance on the records you must keep and the notifications you must make (click on the links below).

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Unannounced inspections

Published: 06 October 2014

Unannounced inspections

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Annual returns

Published: 06 October 2014

This year's annual returns are now closed. We would like to thank everyone who submitted their annual return to us by the deadline, Sunday 17 March 2024. The information you have provided will help us plan, inform and carry out our inspections and improvement work.

Each year, we ask service providers to complete an annual return to help us plan, inform and carry out our inspections and improvement work. 

We also publish a number of annual statistical publications and share some of the information with other organisations, such as the Scottish Social Services Council and the Scottish Government.

The intelligence we gather through annual returns helps us target our improvement activity and support within social care. It is a great source of baseline data across a variety of health and wellbeing indicators which we use to identify, drive and track improvement, for example infection control, nutrition and the recruitment and retention of staff.  The data also helps us to identify trends and topics by both geographical area or service type, so that we can see where best to focus our improvement support work, for example, improvement workshops or new resources and guidance for care services across the sector.

Based on feedback we have received from providers and their representative groups about the pressures and challenging context that the sector is currently facing, we have extended the annual return submission period for an additional four weeks. We understand these challenges and are committed to supporting services as much as we can.  As part of this, we hope this extension will allow more time for this work to be undertaken. 

All service types must complete their annual returns electronically, using our eForms system. It is important that services regularly check their eForms account to make sure that their email address is up to date, and that only authorised people have access to their account. All services should check their eForms email address.

Even inactive services must submit an annual return.

We no longer automatically downgrade services for failing to submit an annual return. This is because we do not believe that non-submission is necessarily a reflection of poor quality of service. We will, however, continue to publish details about submission or non-submission of annual returns within inspection reports. We also reserve the right to make a formal requirement relating to submission of an annual return, or in cases of serious or persistent non-compliance, to issue an improvement notice under s62 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, requiring its submission.

Please note that where the manager of the service has changed, you must formally notify the Care Inspectorate of the correct details. This can be done using our online digital portal.  

Related documents

If you have any questions about the annual returns, please read our frequently asked questions.

Find out what has changed in the 2023-24 annual return.

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Changes to registration, variations and cancelled services

Published: 06 October 2014

Apply to vary conditions of registration

If you need to vary, (add, amend or remove) the conditions of registration of your service, you should in the first instance discuss this with the inspector responsible for your service.  You will now be able to make an application to vary the conditions of your registration on the portal.  Note, you are currently only able to have one application for variation in progress at a time.

Unless otherwise agreed with us, the date the variation is to take effect from must not be less than three months after the date of application.  We can only grant or refuse an application to vary a condition – we cannot change the detail of the variation that you have originally requested.  However, whilst the application is still in progress you can update/amend the application yourself within the portal.  Where you subsequently decide that you no longer wish the variation request to be progressed, for instance, if it is no longer necessary due to a change of circumstances, then you should discuss this with whoever has been dealing with your application.  You must then withdraw the application via the portal, and we will receive automatic notification of this.

Guidance for childminders on applying to increase capacity in childminding settings

Notifiable events - when is formal regulatory action, including Variation, required - guidance for care service providers

Inactive services

We have implemented a revised policy on ‘Inactive Care Services’.

Services registered with the Care Inspectorate must operate within the legal framework laid out within the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, (the “Act”).  We have adopted a policy where any service can make an application to stop operating for up to 12 months, without having to cancel their registration.  Where such an application is granted, a service will be referred to as ‘inactive’.

Reasons for a service to be treated as inactive would be limited to:

  • refurbishment of premises
  • provider has caring responsibilities for a limited period of time
  • provider maternity leave
  • provider health issues.

There may be, on occasion, other exceptional circumstances, which we may consider on an individual basis.

During a period of inactivity, a provider must continue to submit an annual return, pay continuation fees, submit notifications and ensure the service continues to meet all of the legal requirements under the Act.  Prior to the service becoming operational, the provider must notify us in advance that their service is operational and ensure the service is ‘fit’ to operate and meets the needs of the service users.

Applications for inactive care service status and notifications of intention to become operational should be submitted using the digital portal. 

The relevant forms are available via your portal account.  Select the “apply to become inactive / active” option on the right hand side of your menu page.  If you require any assistance please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or contact 0345 600 9527 Monday to Friday 09:00 - 16:00.

Cancel a service

Any registered service can voluntarily apply to cancel their registration.

If you are a care service, and want to cancel your registration, you must complete our application to cancel a care service form before we can progress with your cancellation.  You can submit your request using through our digital portal. 

Cancelled services

We have an obligation to publish a list of all care services that have been previously registered and that are now cancelled.

You will be able to check here for a list of all cancelled services.  This is updated monthly to reflect any new cancellations.

Cancelled services 31 July 2024

If you require any further information about these services please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact 0345 600 9527.

 

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Quality grades

Published: 06 October 2014

Quality grades

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Professional

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