How CQC regulates during local government reorganisation

23 Jul 2026 09:15 AM

Read our update on how inspections and assessments of local services will continue during major local government, social care and NHS reforms.

We recognise the challenges for local authorities in maintaining consistent care and support during periods of significant change, including: 

• local government reorganisation (LGR)
• children’s social care (CSC) reforms
• reorganisation of integrated care boards (ICB)
• NHS England reform

We know that during these changes it is important to provide clarity on CQC’s regulatory activity during this time. Local partnerships must continue to meet their responsibilities to vulnerable children and adults, as well as children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Oversight of local areas must continue during this time. Our inspection and assessment activity helps to maintain a focus on people’s needs, as it shows how services are managing change, which helps government identify where support is needed. Assessments also help to assure the public that local services are being held to account.

 We recognise the pressures local authorities are under and realise that regulation is critical to keeping people safe during national reforms.

Working with partners

We are working closely with government departments and Ofsted to align our approach to assessing. We are also engaging directly with local authorities, particularly those affected by reorganisation.

Inspectorates will continue to meet regularly to co-ordinate inspection and reduce overlap. When planning inspections and assessments, we will take into account the wider reform context.

We will continue to listen to the sector and those affected to ensure our approach reflects local context.

CQC’s principles during local government reorganisation

Our approach during this period of transformation aims to be consistent, transparent and proportionate. We will use the following principles when making decisions:

• We will take a risk-based, proportionate and flexible approach. While we will continue to meet our commitments to complete inspection and assessment cycles, we recognise that local authorities and ICBs are also managing complex transitions. Our focus will remain on how services identify and respond to risks to vulnerable people.
• Decisions about timing will be based on a range of factors, including previous inspection or assessment findings, available data and intelligence, and the period since the last assessment. This will include consideration of how well local areas are meeting their legal duties during reform. Where reorganisation increases risk, we may adjust the timing or priority of inspections and assessments.
• Our guidance on how we assess explains our approach. Where appropriate, we will adapt our timelines to reflect local circumstances and use the most proportionate way to gain assurance. This could include an inspection of children’s services  or our local authority regulatory activity such as a focused assessment or an additional local authority assurance meeting.
• CQC will not usually carry out full assessments of adult social care functions before vesting day, and these are unlikely to take place in the 6 months afterwards. Instead, we will use focused assessments and assurance meetings where appropriate.
• Arrangements for local authorities to share self-evaluations will continue. Regular assurance and engagement meetings will remain key opportunities to identify and manage risks. For adult social care, these discussions will focus particularly on how local authorities are meeting their duties under the Care Act (2014), including safeguarding responsibilities.

We will keep our approach under review as the impact of reform becomes clearer for each local area.