The CQC has announced a new “Return to Good” approach, launching in June 2026, designed to reassess services currently rated Good in a more proportionate and targeted way.
This means that for many providers, inspections will increasingly focus on:
- People’s experiences and outcomes
- Targeted, risk-based review of records
- Intelligence already held about your service
Under this approach, services meeting certain criteria may receive a lighter-touch assessment. However, this doesn’t reduce expectations, it increases the importance of having clear, reliable evidence about your service quality and culture.
The Impartial Feedback Service (IFS) has been developed to give providers exactly this kind of insight.
IFS enables you to:
- Capture honest, independent feedback from your clients and workforce
- Identify strengths and areas for improvement
- Turn feedback into clear, actionable development plans
Providers are already using IFS where they:
- Want a more comprehensive understanding of feedback
- Need clearer actions following internal surveys
- Are preparing for quality assurance, inspections or improvement work
IFS is free to Hertfordshire HCPA members and available at a small cost to providers outside of Hertfordshire.
We are encouraging providers to take part in the IFS survey as part of their ongoing quality and improvement work. Get in touch today to start your IFS.
For those looking to strengthen culture alongside feedback and improvement work, explore our Cultural Transformation Programme (CTP) here.