CQC Regulation 18 and staff training records: what to have ready

What Regulation 18 says about training

Regulation 18 (Staffing) requires registered providers to have enough suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff. It also expects staff to receive the support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal they need to do their job.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. CQC publishes its own guidance on the regulation, and it's worth reading in full.

What inspectors typically want to see

Expect questions about how you decide what training each role needs, how you know it's up to date, how new starters are inducted, and what happens when someone's training lapses.

Being able to answer with a current report, rather than a folder search, makes a real difference on the day.

Records worth keeping

For each person: role, start date, induction completed, each required course with its completion date and expiry, and any certificates. For the service: a role-by-role list of requirements and a view of who is due or overdue.

Include bank and agency workers you deploy regularly. They're often missed.

Supervision and competence, not just courses

Course completion shows knowledge. Many providers also record observed competency checks, for example for medication or moving and handling, alongside supervision notes. Keeping these with the training record gives a fuller picture.

A quick self-check

Pick three staff members at random and try to produce their full training record in five minutes. If that's hard, fix the record now rather than during an inspection.