Frameworks Change Every Few Years. What Inspectors Are Trying to Establish Does Not.
CQC Key Lines of Enquiry: The 2026 Return of KLOEs Explained
If you run a CQC-registered service in England, you have probably seen the acronym "KLOE" resurface after a two-year absence. It is not a rumour. In March 2026, CQC published a draft adult social care assessment framework for consultation, and it proposes replacing the 34 quality statements you have spent two years building evidence against with 24 Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) — the model CQC used before the Single Assessment Framework arrived in 2023. The consultation closed on 12 June 2026. CQC's own timeline points to piloting the refined frameworks over summer 2026, with implementation expected towards the end of 2026. Until the new framework is confirmed and live, the current Single Assessment Framework — 34 quality statements, current scoring methodology — remains the operative framework for your inspections. This guide covers what CQC has actually confirmed, what is not changing, the dates that matter, and what is genuinely worth doing with the time you have before the new framework goes live.
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What's included
What This Guide Covers
Everything you need to transform your care documentation.
What CQC Has Actually Confirmed
Three things are confirmed by CQC's own published consultation and draft framework: the 34 quality statements are proposed to be replaced by 24 Key Lines of Enquiry, numerical scoring is proposed to be removed in favour of written Rating Characteristics, and the five key questions with four rating levels are not changing.
What KLOEs Are
Key Lines of Enquiry are structured questions inspectors actively investigate, rather than "we" and "I" statements describing intent. If you were a registered manager before November 2023, you have worked to KLOEs before — the 2026 versions are new, sector-specific, and fewer in number than the quality statements they replace.
Rating Characteristics Explained
In place of numerical scoring, CQC has drafted Rating Characteristics: written descriptions of what Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, and Inadequate look like for each KLOE, built into the framework itself rather than published separately.
Four Sector-Specific Frameworks
This is not a single one-size-fits-all reset. CQC's proposal covers four frameworks — adult social care, mental health, primary care and community services, and hospitals — each with its own KLOEs and Rating Characteristics. Services spanning more than one sector should expect assessment against more than one framework in future.
The Dates That Matter
Draft adult social care framework published 19 March 2026. Consultation closed 12 June 2026. Piloting expected over summer 2026. Implementation expected towards the end of 2026, pending confirmation. Until then, the current Single Assessment Framework applies.
What to Do Before It Goes Live
Read the draft framework for your sector rather than a summary of it, map your evidence to the five key questions rather than the 34 quality statements, and build the continuous-evidence discipline the new framework rewards — an accurate, current picture of how each person is doing, not a folder updated the week before an inspection.
The problem
The Questions Providers Are Asking
We spent two years building evidence against 34 quality statements — is that wasted?
No. Most of your evidence maps to the same statutory ground. Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment), Regulation 17 (good governance), and the rest of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 do not move, whatever CQC calls the layer of questions sitting on top of them. Evidence of safe, person-centred, well-governed care answers KLOEs just as it answered quality statements. What changes is how inspectors interrogate it — KLOEs are investigative questions, not statements of intent.
The statutory ground does not move.Does CQC turn up next month asking about a KLOE we have never heard of?
No. Until the new framework is confirmed and live — expected towards the end of 2026 — the current Single Assessment Framework remains the operative framework for your inspections. CQC is piloting the refined frameworks over summer 2026 before implementation. Keep working to the current framework, and read the draft for your sector so nothing in the transition surprises you.
The current SAF applies until the new framework is live.Does removing numerical scoring mean ratings are going away?
No. The four rating levels — Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate — are staying, and so are the five key questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led. What changes is how the rating is derived: written Rating Characteristics describe what each level looks like for each KLOE, replacing the numerical scoring introduced with the Single Assessment Framework.
Ratings stay. The scoring mechanism changes.We run services across more than one sector — which framework applies to us?
Potentially more than one. CQC's proposal replaces the single framework with four sector-specific ones: adult social care, mental health, primary care and community services, and hospitals. Each gets its own KLOEs and Rating Characteristics rather than one shared set. If your registration spans sectors, expect your services to be assessed against the framework for each sector they sit in.
Four frameworks, matched to sector.Inspection volume is rising while the framework changes — how do we stay ready?
CQC has committed to substantially increasing published assessments through 2026 as it works through its backlog, while the framework transition runs in parallel. The services that find transitions easiest are the ones whose evidence discipline does not depend on the framework: current care plans that reflect the person, risk assessments with recorded mitigation, clear concern-to-action trails, and governance evidence of audit leading to action. That discipline answers whatever the questions are called.
Framework-proof evidence discipline.Comparison
Traditional Documentation vs CareVoice
See the difference in your daily workflow
Before CareVoice
- Hours typing up assessment notes
- Manual safeguarding checks
- Generic templates requiring heavy editing
- Paper notes lost or illegible
- Inconsistent documentation quality
- Stressful CQC inspection prep
With CareVoice
- Capture by voice, spend less time documenting
- Agent flags concerns automatically
- Templates covering the Care Act wellbeing domains
- Secure digital storage with search
- Structured, professional reports
- Review-ready, CQC-aligned documentation
How it works
What Is Actually Worth Doing Before the New Framework Goes Live
Read the Draft Framework for Your Sector, Not a Summary of It
CQC has published the draft openly as part of the consultation. If you are a nominated individual or quality lead, a first-hand read is worth more than any third-party explainer, including this one. Note which KLOEs map cleanly to your existing evidence and where the investigative framing changes what you would show.
One working session
Map Your Evidence to the Five Key Questions, Not the 34 Quality Statements
The key questions are the one thing that has survived every framework CQC has run. A connection from your incident reporting to Safe, from feedback and complaints handling to Responsive, from training and supervision records to Well-led — that mapping outlives whatever the specific supporting questions are called next.
Evidence mapping
Keep Working to the Current Single Assessment Framework
Until CQC confirms the final frameworks and go-live date, the 34 quality statements and current methodology remain what you are inspected against. Do not abandon current-framework evidence in anticipation of the new one — the transition rewards services that are current on both.
Until confirmed go-live
Build the Discipline the New Framework Rewards
CQC's own framing — moving from statements of intent to investigative questions — is a shift toward continuous evidence of what is actually happening for the people you support, not a point-in-time paper exercise. The services that find this easiest will be the ones that already hold an accurate, current picture of how each person is doing, not a folder updated the week before an inspection.
Continuous readiness
Watch for the Final Framework and Confirmed Dates
Consultation feedback closed 12 June 2026. CQC expects to pilot over summer 2026 and publish final versions with provider guidance before implementation at the end of the year. Treat any confirmed go-live date from CQC as the trigger for staff briefing and evidence re-mapping.
Ongoing
The 2026 Reset at a Glance: What Changes, What Does Not
What makes CareVoice the right choice for your documentation needs.
Changing: 34 Quality Statements Become 24 KLOEs
34 statements → 24 KLOEsThe quality statements introduced with the Single Assessment Framework in November 2023 are proposed to be replaced by 24 Key Lines of Enquiry — structured questions inspectors actively investigate rather than statements describing intent (CQC draft adult social care assessment framework, 19 March 2026).
Changing: Numerical Scoring Becomes Rating Characteristics
Scores → written characteristicsThe numerical scoring methodology is proposed to be removed. In its place, written Rating Characteristics describe what Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, and Inadequate look like for each KLOE — built into the framework itself rather than published separately.
Changing: One Framework Becomes Four
1 framework → 4 sector-specificThe single framework covering all regulated care is proposed to be replaced by four sector-specific frameworks: adult social care, mental health, primary care and community services, and hospitals — each with its own KLOEs and rating descriptions.
Not Changing: The Five Key Questions
Safe · Effective · Caring · Responsive · Well-ledSafe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led remain the backbone of assessment, whatever sits underneath them. Evidence mapped to the key questions outlives the transition.
Not Changing: The Four Rating Levels and the Statutory Base
Same ratings, same regulationsOutstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate all remain, and the regulations underneath — including Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) and Regulation 17 (good governance) — do not move. The framework is the lens, not the law.
How Some Services Are Preparing
Evidence as default, not projectThe common thread in every framework transition is that continuous, person-centred evidence survives and point-in-time paperwork does not. Some providers are using care intelligence tools like CareVoice to keep an accurate, current picture of how each person is doing as a default state — so the record already tells the story whichever framework the questions come from.
Testimonials
What Care Professionals Say
What care professionals have said after using CareVoice
"This platform is a brilliant step forward for making care plans and assessments faster and easier. The design is clear, the process is streamlined, and it's exactly the kind of tool that can save time while keeping everything well-organised. I can see it making a real difference for field teams. Well done to the entire brilliant team behind CareVoice"
Harriette Nyuybinni
Domiciliary Care Field Supervisor
"CareVoice has empowered me as a social worker working with young children. It has streamlined my workflow and provided me with reliable assistance. The detailed analysis and suggestions I receive allow me to confidently delegate my assessments, freeing up my time. Most importantly, the service is affordable, offering great value for money."
Abuh Mowoh
Social Worker, Essex County Council
"As part of our quality assurance efforts, CareVoice has helped us not only ensure compliance but also maintain high standards in line with our regulatory requirements. I really appreciate the voice capture feature and the concept of using voice recognition technology to streamline assessments. This is a very forward-thinking approach that will enhance our processes significantly."
Runya Murape
Quality Assurance Manager
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What are the CQC Key Lines of Enquiry?
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Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) are structured questions CQC inspectors use to investigate whether a service is safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led. CQC used KLOEs before the Single Assessment Framework replaced them with 34 quality statements in November 2023. In March 2026, CQC published a draft adult social care assessment framework proposing a return to the KLOE model — 24 new Key Lines of Enquiry, organised under the same five key questions.
Are KLOEs coming back in 2026?
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Yes, subject to final confirmation. CQC's draft adult social care assessment framework (published 19 March 2026) proposes replacing the 34 quality statements with 24 Key Lines of Enquiry. The consultation closed on 12 June 2026, piloting is expected over summer 2026, and implementation is expected towards the end of 2026. Until the final framework is confirmed and live, the current Single Assessment Framework still applies.
What is replacing the 34 quality statements?
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Under CQC's draft 2026 framework, the 34 quality statements are proposed to be replaced by 24 Key Lines of Enquiry. KLOEs are framed as questions inspectors actively investigate, rather than "we" and "I" statements describing intent. The five key questions they sit under — Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led — are not changing.
What are Rating Characteristics?
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Rating Characteristics are written descriptions of what Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, and Inadequate look like for each Key Line of Enquiry. In the draft 2026 framework they replace the numerical scoring methodology used under the Single Assessment Framework. The four rating levels themselves are staying — what changes is how a rating is derived from the evidence.
When does the new CQC framework go live?
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CQC's published timeline points to piloting the refined frameworks over summer 2026, with implementation expected towards the end of 2026. The consultation on the drafts closed on 12 June 2026. No confirmed go-live date has been published yet — until it is, the current Single Assessment Framework remains the operative framework for inspections.
Is evidence built against the quality statements wasted?
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No. Most quality-statement evidence maps to the same statutory ground — Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment), Regulation 17 (good governance), and the rest of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 — which does not change. Evidence of safe, person-centred, well-governed care answers KLOEs just as it answered quality statements. The most durable mapping is to the five key questions, which have survived every framework CQC has run.
Do the five key questions change under the new framework?
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No. Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led remain the backbone of CQC assessment under the draft 2026 framework, as they were under the Single Assessment Framework and the original KLOE model before it. Each sector-specific framework introduces its own supporting KLOEs and Rating Characteristics beneath the same five questions.
How many sector-specific frameworks will there be?
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Four. CQC's proposal replaces the Single Assessment Framework with sector-specific frameworks for adult social care, mental health, primary care and community services, and hospitals. Each gets its own Key Lines of Enquiry and Rating Characteristics rather than one shared set. Providers whose services span more than one sector should expect assessment against more than one framework.
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Related Solutions
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The Dates That Matter
All dates from CQC's own published consultation and draft framework. This page is updated as CQC confirms the final framework and go-live date.
- 19 March 2026: CQC publishes draft adult social care assessment framework
- 12 June 2026: consultation on the draft closes
- Summer 2026: CQC expects to pilot the refined frameworks
- End of 2026: implementation expected, pending confirmation
- Until go-live: the current Single Assessment Framework applies
- Source: CQC draft adult social care assessment framework (19 March 2026)
- Source: CQC "Give your views" consultation (closed 12 June 2026)
Who This Guide Is For
Registered managers, providers, and quality leads in CQC-regulated services preparing for the 2026 framework transition.
- Registered managers across adult social care
- Nominated individuals and providers
- Quality assurance and compliance leads
- Deputy managers and team leaders
- Domiciliary care agency managers
- Supported living service managers
- Care home and nursing home managers
- Multi-sector providers spanning more than one framework
Performance
Built for UK adult social care
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