CQC Single Assessment Framework: The Complete Provider Guide to All 34 Quality Statements
A comprehensive guide to every quality statement in the CQC Single Assessment Framework, and how to produce evidence that satisfies inspectors across all five key questions.
20 January 2026
The CQC Single Assessment Framework (SAF) replaced the previous assessment framework in November 2023 and is now used for all inspections of health and social care providers in England. If you’re a registered manager or provider director, understanding its structure is not optional — it’s the architecture of how you’ll be assessed.
The five key questions
The SAF organises its assessment around five key questions, each with a set of quality statements:
- Safe — 9 quality statements
- Effective — 8 quality statements
- Caring — 5 quality statements
- Responsive — 6 quality statements
- Well-Led — 6 quality statements
That’s 34 quality statements in total. Every CQC inspection involves the inspector gathering evidence against some or all of these statements.
What changed from the previous framework
The old key lines of enquiry (KLOEs) structure was replaced by quality statements written from the perspective of the person receiving care. Where a KLOE asked “Are people safe?”, quality statements describe what “good” looks like in practice — from the service user’s perspective.
This shift has practical implications for your evidence. Statements need to demonstrate outcomes for people, not just process compliance.
The quality statements inspectors focus on most
Not all quality statements are assessed in every inspection. CQC’s own guidance and inspectors’ published decisions consistently show that certain statements receive heavier weighting:
Safe:
- Quality Statement 6 (Safe and effective staffing) — assessed in almost every inspection
- Quality Statement 2 (Safe systems, pathways and transitions)
- Quality Statement 3 (Safeguarding)
Well-Led:
- Quality Statement 1 (Shared direction and culture)
- Quality Statement 3 (Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders)
How IGCA maps to all 34 statements
IGCA’s Evidence Automation Layer (EAL) generates documentation packages pre-mapped to quality statements. This means that when you generate an evidence pack, each document is tagged to the quality statement it addresses — so you can walk into any inspection with a complete, organised evidence set.
For Quality Statement 6 specifically, IGCA’s Competence Validation Engine (CVE) maintains a live, continuously updated record of every staff member’s competency status — giving you the “safe and effective staffing” evidence on demand.
Want to see IGCA generate a live evidence pack against your quality statements? Book a 30-minute demo.