Care Inspectorate inspection checklist: key questions, grades and the evidence to have ready

A Care Inspectorate inspection looks first at how people experience their care, much of it observed on the day, with personal plans held in your care-records system. This checklist covers the rest: the staffing, training, recruitment, premises and governance evidence that is hardest to pull together when an inspector arrives unannounced.

It's written for care homes for adults and older people in Scotland, including care homes with nursing. Care at home services have their own quality framework with the same key question headings, so most of this applies to them too.

Who inspects, and what they inspect against

The Care Inspectorate (legally, Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland) was set up under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. Four layers sit behind an inspection, and it helps to know which is which:

The six key questions

The current care homes framework (published 1 April 2022, last updated October 2026) has six key questions. Five are graded on evidence; the sixth is a forward-looking judgement.

Key question 7 (care during Covid-19) has been removed. Infection prevention and control now sits in quality indicator 1.5.

How the grades work

Each quality indicator inspectors look at gets a grade on the six-point scale:

Three things catch managers out. The grade for a key question is the lowest grade of the quality indicators evaluated under it, so one weak area pulls the heading down. Inspectors normally re-inspect any indicator currently graded adequate. And not every visit grades everything: services performing well may get a core assurance inspection, which isn't graded, while others get a fuller inspection of selected indicators.

After the visit, the report may include requirements (based on the regulations, always with a timescale) and areas for improvement (linked to the Standards and good practice).

The core assurances: what inspectors always check

The framework lists core assurances that inspectors assess at every inspection except follow-ups. If one raises concerns, they can widen the inspection to the related quality indicator. Use them as your standing checklist:

• Registration and insurance: registration certificate on display and accurate; insurance certificate on display; written aims and objectives that match your conditions of registration.
• Protection: adult protection policy; staff trained and confident to make referrals, including notifying the Care Inspectorate; referrals made and followed up.
• Infection prevention and control: staff trained in line with the national IPC manual for care homes; a named IPC lead; governance and quality assurance in place.
• Medication: safe policies and practice, including for people without capacity and covert medication; errors notified and learned from.
• People's finances: managed in line with the law, including Part 4 of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.
• Accidents and incidents: a record of every one, notified where required, with quality assurance and learning.
• Development or improvement plan: current, shaped by feedback from people, relatives and staff.
• Complaints: a record of every complaint, response and outcome, with learning.
• Staff recruitment: safer recruitment practice, with records of every check.
• Physical environment: clean and well maintained; equipment maintained, tested and serviced; safety certificates including gas and water checks; fire safety equipment tested and a fire risk assessment in place.
• Planned care and support: personal plans that are outcome-focused and reviewed (held in your care-records system).
• Management oversight and governance: systems that spot risks and lead to action.
• Meaningful connection: a visiting policy, with any restrictions kept as short as possible.

The evidence to have ready, by key question

The Care Inspectorate's guidance on records you must keep (March 2025) sets out what services must hold. The non-clinical items that come up most:

How good is our staff team?

• Recruitment records: identity, references, PVG checks, right to work, professional registration checks, start dates.
• SSSC registration status for every care worker, supervisor and manager (registered within six months of starting), and NMC registration for nurses. See our SSSC registration guide.
• Induction records, a training needs analysis and plan for each person, and a training matrix showing what's done and what's due.
• Supervision records for every member of staff (date, discussion, agreed actions), plus observations of practice and competency checks. See supervision and appraisal.
• Your staffing assessment and rotas. Care homes should keep a record of the assessment that sets minimum staffing levels and deployment on each shift over a four-week period, reviewed regularly. Our Staffing Act guide covers this.

How good is our leadership?

• Audits with action plans, owners and dates; your improvement plan; complaints log; incident analysis; notifications sent. See Care Inspectorate notifications.

How good is our setting?

• Fire: under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, a current fire risk assessment, alarm and emergency lighting tests, and fire drill records. Scottish Government guidance for existing care homes says drills at least twice a year, with every staff member taking part at least once a year.
• Water: temperature checks and legionella controls (HSE guidance applies in Scotland). See water temperature checks.
• Gas and electrical checks, and equipment maintenance, including thorough examinations of hoists and other lifting equipment.

Self-evaluation: do it before they do

The frameworks are written for self-evaluation first. The Care Inspectorate frames it as three questions: How are we doing? How do we know? What are we going to do now? Pick two or three quality indicators each month, gather the evidence, grade yourself honestly against the illustrations and add the actions to your improvement plan.

Mistakes to avoid

• Keeping evidence ready only when you think a visit is due. Visits are unannounced.
• An incident log that doesn't match the notifications you sent.
• Rotas that don't show how they meet your own staffing assessment.
• Staff working past six months without SSSC registration and no record of why.

How ShiftComplete helps

ShiftComplete is built for England first, and its inspection pack is grouped under CQC's five key questions rather than the Care Inspectorate's framework. The records inside it are the same dated, named evidence a Scottish inspector asks to see:

• Rotas with minimum staff and required roles per period, showing each period as covered or short.
• A training matrix with refresh periods you set and certificate photos, and supervisions signed by both people on their phones.
• Fire, water and equipment checks with photos, names and times, and certificates with due-date reminders.
• Incidents, audits with action lists, complaints, and a full audit trail.

It works alongside your care-records system, costs £2.49 per active staff member per month with no contract, and the first 60 days are free with no card needed.

To see it set up for a Scottish care home, visit our care homes page, or book a free set-up call.