The Department of Health has today launched a consultation on plans to ensure that all providers given ratings by CQC display those ratings to help the public see how they are performing and make more informed choices about their care.
CQC Chief Executive David Behan said: "People who use health and care services want to know that they are safe and of high quality. When we rate services, we think it is important that the public know what our judgement is. While we publish all ratings on our website, we believe this should go further. Care homes, hospitals and GPs should make our judgements of their services readily available to the public. Not everyone will be able to research this for themselves online.
"We look forward to hearing the responses of the public and providers to these proposals, and working with the Department of Health on them."
The consultation suggests that the rating must be clearly visible, such as in waiting rooms or entrances, and must be published on the provider's website with a link to the inspection report.
CQC will test public awareness of the ratings by asking patients if they know the CQC rating of their provider as part of our inspection programme.
The consultation can be found on the gov.uk website.
Find out more
Take part in the consultation on the gov.uk website.