Journey
Set up a health or care business
Health and care businesses are regulated twice over: the service registers with a care regulator (CQC in England, with separate regulators in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — and Ofsted for children's social care), and the professionals who deliver it register with their own statutory regulator (GMC, NMC, GDC, GPhC, GOC or HCPC). Find your provider type, then follow the route that matches.
Regulation in this sector follows the activity, not the premises. In England, providing a "regulated activity" — treating patients, providing personal or nursing care with accommodation, or personal care in people's own homes — requires registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) before you start. Children's homes, fostering agencies and supported accommodation for looked-after 16 and 17-year-olds register with Ofsted instead. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own regulators and registration processes.
On top of service registration, every regulated health profession has its own statutory register — doctors (GMC), nurses, midwives and nursing associates (NMC), dentists and dental care professionals (GDC), pharmacists (GPhC in Great Britain, PSNI in Northern Ireland), optometrists and dispensing opticians (GOC) and fifteen allied health professions (HCPC). Using a protected title while unregistered is a criminal offence — and for some professions, such as dentistry and sight testing, practising itself is restricted to registrants.
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Follow the route for your provider type
GP practices, dental practices, clinics, hospitals and pharmacies
Registering the service (CQC for most practices; GPhC premises registration for pharmacies), professional registration of your staff, medicines and controlled drugs, and health data duties.
Care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care and children's homes
Registration with CQC or Ofsted, the registered manager, enhanced DBS checks, mental capacity and safeguarding duties.
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Register the service and your professionals
Register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The England application step by step.
Social care registration and regulators
The four-nation picture for registering a social care service.
Healthcare professional registration requirements
GMC, NMC, GDC, GPhC, GOC and HCPC registration, fees and revalidation.
The regulators by nation
Service regulation is devolved. England splits health and adult social care (CQC) from children's social care (Ofsted); Scotland and Wales each split independent healthcare from social care; Northern Ireland combines both in one regulator.
If you operate in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Healthcare regulation across the UK nations. Social care registers with the Care Inspectorate, CIW or RQIA; independent healthcare with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, HIW or RQIA.
Register a care service in Scotland
The dedicated Scotland registration path.
Register a care service in Wales
The dedicated Wales registration path.
Health and care providers in Northern Ireland
The dedicated Northern Ireland path.
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Put the supporting duties in place
Whichever route applies, expect the same supporting duties: enhanced DBS checks (or PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland) for staff in regulated activity, employers' liability insurance, fire safety, special-category health data protection, and — in England — the CQC fundamental standards, including the duty of candour.
Data protection for healthcare providers
Special-category health data protection.
Infection prevention and control for healthcare providers
The infection prevention and control duties every provider carries.
Step 4 — Confirm you are compliant
Work through the healthcare provider annual compliance checklist.