Quick Guide To Becoming A CQC Registered Manager And The Level 5 Diploma

Quick guide for anyone wanting brief info on becoming a Registered Manager. What's the law behind Care Home registration? How the CQC registration works & what is The Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management in Adult Care?

What Is The UK Law Behind Registered Managers?

Registered Managers were a requirement of The Registered Homes Act 1984, and its subsequent amendments in 1991 and 1992.

The Care Standards Act 2000 and The Care Homes Regulations 2002 continued the requirement for Registered Managers.

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 introduced the CQC (Care Quality Commission).

Among other roles, the CQC register care providers.

This handed the CQC the authority to request Registered Managers for most providers:

“Regulation 5, of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 requires us to impose a Registered Manager (RM) condition on the registration of providers.

“The exceptions are NHS providers, and individual providers who have been assessed as fit to carry on the regulated activity. In these cases we have the discretion to impose a Registered Manager condition.”

If a care service is found to not have a Registered Manager they can be fined up to £4,000 via a Fixed Penalty Notice by the CQC if they fail to get one in 6 months.

(This is one of the reasons why the Home Manager job market is such an active one - a provider must swiftly find a CQC Registered Home Manager if they are without one.)

How Does CQC Registration For Managers Work?

The CQC register a manager after they have followed a registration process. (You submit your application online via the CQC website.)

You will explain your experience and you will be interviewed by the CQC to ensure you understand your responsibilities as a Registered Manager, and the laws surrounding care provision.

If the CQC are satisfied they will proceed to register you for the service and the location you will be working - as the ‘Registered Manager’ for it.

Sometimes they may add conditions.

My first registration was very lengthy. It was a 2 hour in-person meeting.

Now that I’ve been registered several times, it’s a phone call to check over some key points. You can also read this related article about How Much You Can Expect To Be Paid Working In Care Homes.

What Is The Level 5 Diploma In Leadership And Management In Adult Care?

The registration that a Registered Manager needs is: The Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management in Adult Care.

This is the mandated version funded by Skillsforcare (the body associated with skills standards by the government) and it is what the CQC are ideally looking for each Registered Manager to have.

It replaced the Registered Managers Award.

There are variations of the Level 5 that are tailored and targeted to different sectors of care.

For instance, Child Care and Young Adults.

These will be assessed on application.

The Level 5 Diploma is equivalent to 1 year of a degree course.

I completed mine in 2018. It gave me an invaluable introduction to the laws and context of running a service.

Do Registered Managers Have To Be Revalidated, Like Nurses?

No, it doesn’t work in that way.

The CQC registration continues and typically ends when a manager leaves the service provider.

They must complete a form to say that ‘from this date’ they will no longer be the Registered Manager.