MHRA (opens in a new tab)
Regulates medicines, medical devices, and blood components. Ensures safety, quality, and efficacy. Issues marketing authorisations.
Enforces 15 Acts this sector relies on.
Sector
Healthcare & Social Care
Hospitals, GP practices, care homes, health services and social care providers.
- Guides
- 53
- Regulators
- 19
- Legislation
- 45
- Journeys
- 15
Start here
See all 15Step-by-step routes through what healthcare & social care businesses must do.
Curated by what's changing, what's most consequential, and where things go wrong.
Changing now
From 1 October 2026
Understanding the Employment Rights Act 2025
Employment Rights Act 2025: October 2026 reforms (fire and rehire, harassment, tribunals)
New to the sectorStart a social care provider business
Registration and compliance for a new care provider
Check you're compliantHealthcare compliance quick check
The established-provider self-audit
Also surfaceRespond to a medicines or controlled drugs incident
Medicines or controlled-drugs incident — high consequence
If it's gone wrongRespond to a CQC investigation or enforcement action
CQC investigation or enforcement? Start here
Who regulates you
See all 19The bodies that set rules and enforce compliance for healthcare & social care.
Ranked by how much of the legislation this sector's guides cite each one enforces.
CIW (opens in a new tab)
Registers and inspects social care and childcare services in Wales. Regulates care homes, domiciliary care, children's homes, and childminders.
Enforces 9 Acts this sector relies on.
CQC (opens in a new tab)
Independent regulator of health and social care in England. Registers, monitors, inspects and rates hospitals, care homes, GP practices, dental surgeries, and other care …
Enforces 9 Acts this sector relies on.
Care Inspectorate (opens in a new tab)
Registers and inspects care services in Scotland including care homes, childcare, and support services. Publishes inspection grades and can take enforcement action.
Enforces 5 Acts this sector relies on.
HSE (opens in a new tab)
Workplace health, safety, and welfare regulation across all industries. Enforces the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and related regulations. Investigates serious incidents …
Enforces 5 Acts this sector relies on.
ICO (opens in a new tab)
Data protection, freedom of information, privacy and electronic communications regulation. Enforces UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. Issues fines for breaches. All businesses …
Enforces 4 Acts this sector relies on.
Key legislation
See all 45The Acts and statutory instruments that set duties for this sector.
Ranked by how many of this sector's guides cite each — the legislation most central to the sector appears first.
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Act
Health and Social Care Act 2008 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 13 of this sector's guides
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Act
RISCWA 2016 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 11 of this sector's guides
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SI
Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 11 of this sector's guides
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Act
Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 9 of this sector's guides
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Act
Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement a… (opens in a new tab) Cited by 9 of this sector's guides
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SI
Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regu… (opens in a new tab) Cited by 8 of this sector's guides
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SI
Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Indiv… (opens in a new tab) Cited by 4 of this sector's guides
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SI
Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 4 of this sector's guides
What's changing
See all changes
Legislation_Change
1 Oct 2026
Employment Rights Act 2025: October 2026 reforms (fire and rehire, harassment, tribunals)
All guidance for healthcare & social care
53 guides for this sector.
Grouped by topic area, with the topic holding the most guidance first; within each, the most comprehensive guides lead.
Sector-Specific
53 guides
- Start a clinical laboratory service How to set up and operate a clinical laboratory in the UK. Covers UKAS accreditation, CQC registration, HTA licensing, MHRA …
- Social care registration and regulators Guide to registering as a social care provider across all four UK nations. Covers CQC registration in England, Care Inspectorate …
- Data protection for healthcare providers How healthcare providers must handle patient data under UK GDPR, including special category health data requirements, Caldicott Principles, the common …
- Running clinical trials in the UK How to get MHRA authorisation for clinical trials of investigational medicinal products (CTIMPs). Covers combined review process, GCP requirements, safety …
- Healthcare professional registration requirements Registration requirements with GMC, NMC, GDC, GPhC, and HCPC for healthcare employers and professionals.
- Operating care services across UK nations: cross-border registration and compliance Comprehensive guide for care providers operating in more than one UK nation. Covers separate registration requirements with each devolved inspectorate, …
- Register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Complete step-by-step guide to CQC registration for healthcare providers in England, including what activities require registration, annual fees, fit and …
- Run a care home or other residential care service Residential care is one of the most closely regulated activities in the UK. Adult care and nursing homes and domiciliary …
- Healthcare premises and equipment requirements CQC Regulation 15 premises and equipment requirements, radiation protection under IRR 2017, healthcare ventilation, medical gas systems, decontamination of reusable …
- Healthcare and social care regulation (CQC) CQC registration requirements for health and social care providers in England, including detailed guidance on regulated activities, costs, and devolved …
- MHRA authorisation for medicines and medical devices How to obtain MHRA authorisation for medicines and medical devices in the UK. Covers Marketing Authorisations, wholesale dealer licences, manufacturer …
- MHRA licensing for medicines and medical devices MHRA licensing requirements for manufacturing, distributing, and importing medicines and medical devices in the UK.
- Infection prevention and control for healthcare providers How to meet infection prevention and control (IPC) requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice …
- Healthcare regulation across the UK nations Comparison reference for healthcare regulation in England (CQC), Scotland (HIS and Care Inspectorate), Wales (HIW and CIW), and Northern Ireland …
- Healthcare provider annual compliance checklist Annual checklist of recurring compliance obligations for CQC-registered healthcare providers covering registration, workforce, clinical governance, premises, data protection, and policy …
- Clinical governance and quality improvement Clinical governance framework for healthcare providers covering patient safety culture, clinical audit, incident investigation, duty of candour, complaints handling, and …
- Set up and run a regulated health practice Opening a GP surgery, dental practice, clinic, pharmacy or optical practice means clearing two gateways — registering the service with …
- NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit compliance How to complete the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) annual self-assessment if you handle NHS patient data. Covers …
- Medicines and controlled drugs compliance Legal requirements for handling, storing and administering medicines including controlled drugs in healthcare settings.
- UKCA and CE marking for medical devices How to choose between UKCA and CE marking for your medical device on the GB market. Covers UKCA marking via …
- Understanding care regulation in Wales: CIW and RISCA 2016 How Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) regulates care services under RISCA 2016, the Responsible Individual model, Welsh Language Standards obligations, and …
- Understanding the Care Inspectorate Scotland Comprehensive explainer of how the Care Inspectorate Scotland operates, its regulatory model under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, …
- CIW inspection preparation checklist Verification checklist for CIW inspection readiness. Covers Statement of Purpose, Responsible Individual duties, staff qualifications and Social Care Wales registration, …
- Register a health or social care service with RQIA Step-by-step guide to registering a health or social care service with the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) in Northern …
- Register with the Care Inspectorate Scotland Step-by-step guide to registering a care service with the Care Inspectorate Scotland under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, …
- Devolved care inspectorates: quick comparison reference Quick-lookup reference comparing the three devolved care inspectorates: Care Inspectorate (Scotland), CIW (Wales), and RQIA (Northern Ireland). Covers registration, fees, …
- Medical devices: placing on the GB market How to comply with the UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002 when placing medical devices on the Great Britain market. Covers …
- Register a care service with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) Step-by-step guide to registering a regulated care service with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) under the Regulation and Inspection of Social …
- Medical devices and equipment compliance Regulatory requirements for medical devices including vigilance reporting and equipment maintenance.
- Safeguarding and mental capacity in healthcare Legal duties for safeguarding vulnerable adults and making decisions for people who lack mental capacity.
- Which education and childcare rules apply to your business Education and childcare businesses are regulated by what they do and who they serve. Early years and out-of-school childcare register …
- Meet RISCA 2016 compliance requirements for care services in Wales How to meet the ongoing compliance requirements under the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 and the …
- Social care workforce qualifications and staffing Workforce requirements for social care providers across the UK. Covers the Care Certificate and qualifications in England, mandatory SSSC registration …
- Prepare for an RQIA inspection Inspection readiness checklist for RQIA-registered services in Northern Ireland. Covers documentation, staffing records, care plans, premises environment, complaints handling, safeguarding, …
- Respond to CIW enforcement action in Wales What to do when Care Inspectorate Wales imposes conditions, issues improvement notices or restriction notices, or initiates cancellation of registration. …
- SSSC workforce registration for care providers in Scotland How to ensure your care staff register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), including registration categories, qualification requirements, timescales, …
- Care Inspectorate Scotland inspection preparation checklist Checklist for Care Inspectorate inspection readiness covering documentation, staff training records, care plans, Health and Social Care Standards evidence, premises, …
- Understanding RQIA: healthcare and social care regulation in Northern Ireland How healthcare and social care regulation works in Northern Ireland under the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). Explains the …
- Post-market surveillance for medical devices How to establish and maintain a post-market surveillance system for medical devices on the GB market under the enhanced requirements …
- Report a medical device safety incident to MHRA Step-by-step guide to reporting serious medical device incidents to MHRA via the MORE portal. Covers incident identification, timeline classification (2, …
- Which health and care rules apply to your business Health and care businesses are regulated twice over: the service registers with a care regulator (CQC in England, with separate …
- Respond to RQIA enforcement action What to do if RQIA takes enforcement action against your health or social care service in Northern Ireland. Covers failure …
- Placing medical devices on the Northern Ireland market How to comply with the Northern Ireland medical device regime under the Windsor Framework. Covers EU MDR/IVDR requirements, CE marking, …
- Social care business planning and insurance Business planning essentials for social care providers. Covers insurance requirements, Care Act 2014 obligations in England, financial viability and fee …
- Software and AI as medical devices (SaMD/AIaMD) How MHRA regulates software and AI-powered medical devices. Covers the SaMD definition and boundary guidance, current classification under UK MDR …
- Classify your medical device for the GB market How to classify your medical device under the UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002. Covers Class I through III for general …
- AI medical device compliance MHRA requirements for AI as a Medical Device (AIaMD) and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). Covers classification, registration, technical …
- Medical device compliance checklist Verification checklist for medical device manufacturers and UK Responsible Persons. Covers device classification, conformity assessment, technical documentation, UKCA/CE marking, MHRA …
- Meet RQIA Minimum Care Standards How to meet the Minimum Care Standards that RQIA uses to assess your health or social care service in Northern …
- Meet Scotland's Health and Social Care Standards How to meet Scotland's Health and Social Care Standards (My support, my life), covering the five headline standards, self-assessment approaches, …
- Register your care staff with Social Care Wales How to ensure your care staff register with Social Care Wales, including mandatory registration categories, qualification requirements, the Code of …
- Responding to Care Inspectorate enforcement action in Scotland What to do when the Care Inspectorate imposes conditions, issues improvement notices, or initiates cancellation of your registration, including your …
- Choosing a UK Approved Body for medical devices How to select and engage a UK Approved Body for conformity assessment of your medical device. Covers the 9 designated …
All journeys
- Run a healthcare business Ongoing compliance for CQC-registered healthcare providers covering inspections, professional registration, safeguarding, clinical governance, medicines management, and staff obligations
- Meet environmental compliance requirements Navigate your environmental obligations including waste duty of care, pollution prevention, packaging responsibilities, and energy reporting
- Start a healthcare business Launch a healthcare or social care business with CQC registration
- Healthcare compliance quick check Quick compliance check for experienced healthcare providers. Covers CQC registration, professional registrations, DBS checks, medicines audit, controlled drugs …
- 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, …
- Start a childcare business Launch a childcare business with Ofsted registration, safeguarding, and EYFS compliance
- Prepare for CQC's 2026 assessment framework CQC is replacing the Single Assessment Framework with four sector-specific frameworks during 2026. Understand what is confirmed, what …
- Wales care compliance quick check Quick checklist for Wales care providers to verify CIW registration, Responsible Individual appointment, Social Care Wales workforce registration, …
- RQIA registration quick check Quick checklist for Northern Ireland care providers to check whether their service needs RQIA registration, fit person requirements, …
- 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 …
- Scotland care compliance quick check Quick compliance check for Scotland care providers covering Care Inspectorate registration, SSSC workforce registration, Health and Social Care …
- Expanding your childcare business Grow your childcare business through multi-site expansion, franchising, acquisitions, or building strong Ofsted inspection outcomes
- Respond to a medicines or controlled drugs incident What to do when a medicines incident occurs: medication error, controlled drug discrepancy, or CD theft/loss. Covers securing …
- 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 …
- Running a childcare setting Ongoing compliance for childcare providers covering inspections, safeguarding, SEND, food safety, and staff management
Subsectors
SIC 2007 divisions covered by this sector.