CQC Regulation 9 · Person-centred care

CQC Regulation 9: person-centred care

Regulation 9 requires that the care and support each person receives is appropriate, meets their needs and reflects their preferences. In practice it asks whether people are genuinely involved in planning their own care, and whether the plan changes when their needs or wishes change.

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Last reviewed: 28 September 2026. Independent guidance from AJG Advisory — not official CQC guidance. Always check the official sources listed below for current requirements.

Who it applies to

All providers registered with CQC for a regulated activity, including care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care, supported living and extra care services. The registered manager and nominated individual share responsibility for making sure the systems exist.

What providers should consider

Is each person's needs assessment completed with them (and, where appropriate, family or an advocate) before care begins?
Do care plans describe the person — history, routines, what matters to them — not only tasks?
Are reasonable adjustments made for communication, sensory loss, learning disability or autism?
Are reviews triggered by changes (hospital discharge, falls, deterioration), not just by a calendar date?
Where a person lacks capacity for a decision, is Regulation 11 and the Mental Capacity Act followed alongside?

What evidence may be relevant

Pre-admission or initial assessments, signed or recorded as agreed with the person
Care plans showing preferences, goals and personal history
Review records with who attended and what changed
Daily notes that reflect the plan (e.g. preferred times, choices offered)
Feedback from people and relatives, and what was done in response

How Regulation 9 links to inspection

Under CQC's assessment framework, person-centred care evidence sits mainly under the Responsive key question
Inspectors usually test it by talking to people and families, reading care plans and comparing daily notes with what the plan says
Consent and capacity (Regulation 11) and dignity (Regulation 10) are often looked at alongside it

Common areas to review

Generic, copy-and-paste care plans
Review dates passed with no record of a review
Home care visit times that don't match the person's stated preferences
Care plans not updated after a hospital stay

Internal audit questions

1.In a sample of care plans, is the person's voice recorded in their own words?
2.Was each sampled plan reviewed by its due date, and after any significant change?
3.Do daily records show choices being offered and preferences followed?
4.Is there evidence that feedback from people changed how care is delivered?

Practical checklist

Assessment completed with the person before care starts
Care plan includes preferences, history and goals
Communication needs recorded (Accessible Information Standard)
Review completed on time and after any change
Daily records reflect the plan
Feedback gathered and acted on

How MyCareCompliance can help

Run the Care Plan Audit and Service User Reviews Audit from the audit library. Anything not fully met becomes an improvement action with an owner and due date, and review dates are tracked so overdue reviews show up on the dashboard.

Official sources

MyCareCompliance is founded by Jack Green, ACC Accredited Care Consultant, with over 10 years in adult social care and registered manager experience. Read Jack’s background.

See how the platform organises this work

Genuine product screenshots using demo data. Scores show internal assurance, not CQC ratings. Features vary by plan.

Compliance Centre showing overall score and domain ratings for a care service — Compliance Centre — one snapshot of where the service stands today.

Audit register listing scheduled and completed CQC audits with due dates — Audit programme — scheduled, completed and overdue audits in one register.

Improvement action plan with owners, priorities and due dates — Improvement plan — findings become actions with an owner and a deadline.

Workforce compliance records showing DBS, right to work and training expiry status — Workforce compliance — DBS, right to work, training and supervision expiry.

Need to manage this in your service?

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MyCareCompliance does not guarantee a CQC rating or inspection outcome.