Audit template
Continuity of Care
Measures how consistently each person sees the same carers and what is being done to improve it. This template runs quarterly in MyCareCompliance and carries 8 mapped checks across 7 CQC quality statements.
Last reviewed: September 2026. This guidance reflects CQC information available at the date above — always refer to cqc.org.uk for current regulatory requirements.
What the audit covers
Every question in the Continuity of Care is mapped to a CQC quality statement and the underlying regulation, so a failed check tells you exactly which part of the single assessment framework is at risk. This is an optional template you can switch on when it applies to your service.
- Runs quarterly — optional template
- Part of the Operations & service delivery audit category
- Maps to 4 regulations: Regulation 18 — Staffing, Regulation 12 — Safe care and treatment, Regulation 9 — Person-centred care, Regulation 17 — Good governance
- Failed checks become tracked improvement actions with an owner, due date and evidence
The 8 checks
Safe and effective staffing
Safe — 1 check- Regulation 18 — StaffingContinuity of Care
Do staff rotas include sufficient, realistic travel time between care visits to ensure calls are not rushed or delayed?
What we look for: Examine 5 care workers' schedules for a week. Travel time must be explicitly scheduled and realistic based on local traffic/geography. A fail would be back-to-back scheduling forcing staff to leave early or arrive late.
Evidence: Staff rotas, travel time matrices, ECM log-in/log-out data, staff feedback forms
Safe systems, pathways and transitions
Safe — 1 check- Regulation 12 — Safe care and treatmentContinuity of Care
Are missed, late, or truncated care calls robustly monitored, investigated, and actioned to prevent recurrence?
What we look for: Review the ECM dashboard and missed/late call logs for the past month. Look for timely management response and clear root cause analysis. A fail is ignoring alerts or failing to notify the service user of delays.
Evidence: ECM alerts, missed call logs, incident reports, duty manager handover notes, safeguarding referrals (if applicable)
How staff, teams and services work together
Effective — 2 checks- Regulation 18 — StaffingContinuity of Care
Are new care workers formally introduced and provided with shadowing opportunities before providing care independently to a person?
What we look for: Check records for 3 recently onboarded clients or newly assigned staff. Good looks like documented shadowing visits where the new carer learns routines from a regular team member. A fail is sending unintroduced staff to a vulnerable person.
Evidence: Shadowing rotas, introduction records, induction checklists, service user care plans
- Regulation 12 — Safe care and treatmentContinuity of Care
Is there a robust system for care workers to share critical updates and handover information about changes in people's needs?
What we look for: Sample communication logs and ECM notes. Good practice involves secure, immediate sharing of health/wellbeing updates between the care team and office. A fail is critical information (like a suspected UTI) not being passed to the next carer.
Evidence: Handover logs, care worker mobile app notes, daily records, communication books, duty manager logs
Treating people as individuals
Caring — 1 check- Regulation 9 — Person-centred careContinuity of Care
Are people's preferences regarding the gender, skills, and background of their care workers recorded and respected in scheduling?
What we look for: Check how preferences (e.g., female carers only, language requirements) are flagged in the rostering system. Good practice ensures these are strictly followed. A fail is scheduling staff who do not meet the person's documented cultural or personal needs.
Evidence: Care plans (preferences section), matching profiles, rota system tags, pre-assessment documents
Care provision, integration and continuity
Responsive — 1 check- Regulation 9 — Person-centred careContinuity of Care
Is there a consistent core team of care workers allocated to each person's visits, minimizing the number of different carers?
What we look for: Sample rotas for 5 service users over a 4-week period. Good practice means a small, defined team provides the care. A fail would be a high turnover of different carers with no continuity, causing distress or confusion.
Evidence: Staff rotas, electronic call monitoring (ECM) data, care worker allocation logs, service user schedules
Listening to and involving people
Responsive — 1 check- Regulation 17 — Good governanceContinuity of Care
Are people who use the service regularly asked for their feedback specifically regarding the reliability and consistency of their care team?
What we look for: Review 5 recent quality assurance phone calls or surveys. Questions should explicitly address punctuality, carer consistency, and whether they feel their care is reliable. A fail is failing to capture or act upon feedback about poor continuity.
Evidence: Quality assurance calls, spot check records, service user surveys, care review meeting minutes
Governance, management and sustainability
Well-led — 1 check- Regulation 17 — Good governanceContinuity of Care
Is there an effective business continuity and contingency plan to maintain care delivery during staff shortages or emergencies?
What we look for: Review the business continuity plan. It must include a RAG-rated priority list of service users to ensure the most vulnerable receive care during extreme events (e.g., snow, sudden sickness). A fail is an outdated or generic plan.
Evidence: Business Continuity Plan, emergency staffing protocols, on-call logs, prioritization matrix for service users
See it running for your service
Book a free demonstration and we will run the Continuity of Care against scenarios from a service like yours, or start your 7-day trial and try it yourself.
See it with your own service
Book a free demonstration and we will walk through the platform using scenarios from a service like yours.