- Enforced by
- RQIA
- Status
- Amended (in force with amendments)
- Penalty ceiling
- Imprisonment 3 of 19 obligations carry a fine up to £2,500. 5 carry different penalties and 11 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.
Does it bind you?
Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.
Plus 9 duties on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.
Other Acts binding the same actors
If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.
Any Person — also bound by 2684 other Acts
What it requires
Sections creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.
INTRODUCTORY
0 of 2 sections shown2 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Health and Social Care Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
3 of 5 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- RQIA must provide advice and information to the DepartmentStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- The Department may regulate and direct RQIA operationsCrown / Minister / Government department
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- RQIA must submit annual report on services and functionsStatutory regulator
2 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
REGULATION OF ESTABLISHMENTS AND AGENCIES
10 of 26 sections shown- Operate an unregistered health or social care establishmentAny Person
- Register your establishment or agency with the RQIAAny Person
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- RQIA must provide written notice and reasons for registration proposalsStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- RQIA must allow 28 days for representations before making a decisionStatutory regulator
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- RQIA must provide written notice of registration decisions and appeal rightsStatutory regulator
- Fail to comply with registration conditionsAny Person
Unlimited fine
- Breach health or social care regulationsAny Person
Fine up to £2,500
- False description of establishment or agencyAny Person
Unlimited fine
- Make false statements in registration applicationAny Person
Fine up to £2,500
- Fail to display registration certificateAny Person
Fine up to £500
16 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
QUALITY OF HEALTH AND social care
1 of 2 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- HSC trusts must monitor and improve care quality and environmentsStatutory regulator
1 other section in this Part — procedural and definitional
BOARDS AND HSC TRUSTS– ADOPTION, FOSTERING AND CHILDREN UNDER 12
1 of 2 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- HSC trusts must provide information to the RQIAStatutory regulator
1 other section in this Part — procedural and definitional
MISCELLANEOUS
4 of 13 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Department must publish and review minimum care standardsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Obstruct or fail to comply with health inspection powersAny Person
Fine up to £2,500
- Protect the identity of individuals when sharing confidential informationAny Person
- Fail to comply with Care Tribunal regulatory requirementsAny Person
Fine up to £1,000
9 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Schedules
0 of 29 shown29 other schedules
1 other provision
Help complying
Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.
Start a healthcare business
Launch a healthcare or social care business with CQC registration
Start a social care provider business
End-to-end learning path for starting a social care business. Covers which regulator applies, CQC registration, registered manager requirements, workforce qualifications (Care Certificate, …
Respond to a CQC investigation or enforcement action
What to do if your healthcare or social care service faces CQC enforcement action. Covers understanding the type and severity of action, …
Starting a social care provider business
Step-by-step guide to starting a social care business — from choosing your regulator through workforce requirements to financial planning.
RQIA registration quick check
Quick checklist for Northern Ireland care providers to check whether their service needs RQIA registration, fit person requirements, care standards, and what …
Responding to RQIA enforcement action
What to do when RQIA takes enforcement action against your care service in Northern Ireland. Covers conditions of registration, improvement notices, failure …
Compare healthcare regulation across the UK nations
Health and social care regulation is devolved, so each nation has its own regulator, legislation and registration process. Providing a regulated service …
Compare the care regulators in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each regulate care under their own law, through the Care Inspectorate, Care Inspectorate Wales and RQIA. They …
How RQIA regulates health and social care in Northern Ireland
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority registers and inspects health and social care services in Northern Ireland, where both are delivered through …
Meet RQIA Minimum Care Standards
Every RQIA-registered service in Northern Ireland must meet the Minimum Care Standards that the Department of Health publishes for its service type. …
Prepare for an RQIA inspection
The RQIA carries out both announced and unannounced inspections, so keep your service ready at all times. Check that your registration certificate …
Register a health or social care service with RQIA
If you plan to provide a health or social care service in Northern Ireland, such as a care home, domiciliary care agency …
Respond to RQIA enforcement action
If the RQIA takes enforcement action against your service in Northern Ireland, act quickly: a failure to comply notice sets improvements and …
Run care services across UK nations
Each UK nation has its own care inspectorate, legislation and quality framework, so registration in one does not cover another. To provide …
4 more guides that reference this instrument
Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.