Do you need CQC registration to start a care agency?

In England, yes, if the agency provides personal care with ongoing direction or control of its workers. Carrying on that regulated activity without registration is a criminal offence. Agencies that only introduce care workers to clients, or supply staff to another registered provider, are exempt. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulators and their own registration requirements.

How much does CQC registration cost?

Nothing to apply. There is no CQC application fee. Once registered, a community social care provider pays an annual regulatory fee calculated as £239 plus £54.305 for each service user, at each location, capped at £92,558. Figures circulating as a non-refundable application fee are not the regulator's charge.

Do you need a qualification to open a care agency in the UK?

The owner does not need a care qualification, and franchisors in the sector state that care experience is not required of the franchise owner. The registered manager does. Regulation 7 requires that person to have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience to manage the regulated activity, and the CQC assesses them individually as part of the application.

François Lozano

Content Manager

About Me

Specialist in the UK market and the franchise world, I write practical guides for people opening their first business or buying into a franchise. From coffee shops and bakeries to garages and franchised networks, I focus on what matters before signing anything: the real costs, the licences and the lease.