Being a provider of care is a serious business and our application process reflects this.
It takes time for a reason
If we agree to register you, you will have responsibility for people’s health and wellbeing so it’s important we are satisfied you are suitably prepared and will be able to meet the relevant legislation.
We assess applications against our assessment frameworks. These frameworks will help you understand our expectations at registration and mirror the questions we ask when we inspect a service. You can see the questions we will ask about your application in the registration assessment frameworks for:
- adult social care providers
- healthcare providers.
We have to establish that applicants will provide services that are safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led.
For us to be sure about this, we have to ask for a lot of information and we need time to assess that information thoroughly.
If you cannot meet the standards set out by the five key questions, we will refuse your application to register.
How long will it take to apply?
Filling in the main form could, in some circumstances, take as much as seven or eight hours – a full working day. It’s likely to take at least two hours.
Additionally, as we say above, some of the preparation work may take several weeks. Here are some examples:
What do I need to do? |
How long will it take? |
| Write a statement of purpose | Two to three hours but possibly several days to prepare |
| Carry out criminal record checks | In most cases four to six weeks |
| Make sure premises are ready | It will depend on your premises but possibly several weeks |