CQC Fit Person Interview Guidance

The Fit Person interview is to check if you are a suitable person who is of good character and has the ability to comply with all CQC regulations in particular when it comes to managing your service effectively and safely.

The CQC Inspector will use the interview to risk assess you and your service against the regulations. It will also be used as an opportunity to seek clarification about the information provided as part of your registration application.

The Interview will usually last several hours and will be part of the assessment for your registered manager and provider application. Click here to download our CQC Fit Person Guide. You can also access some registered manager interview questions and answers here. We have also provided some interview tips.

The fit and proper person check does not apply to providers that are individuals or partnerships. Where it applies, the CQC will be interested in knowing about the polices, procedures in place and their effectiveness when it comes to assessing the suitability of everyone involved in the care and management of your service.

You should carry out due diligence by carrying out DBS checks and checking references. There might be a need to check social media profiles and carry out credit checks for senior members of staff involved in strategic decisions. It is your responsibility to ensure no directors are barred from holding the position. All staff should be able to legally work and carry out care tasks competently.

Help with your CQC Interview

Caretips is available to prepare you for the interview through coaching, mentoring, mocks, going through some basic questions. We will support you to make links between the questions, practice, regulations and the assessment framework.

We offer a CQC preparation and Readiness course run on a one-to-one basis by one of our consultants. For this course to be effective, you are recommended to share with us the evidence you plan to submit for your application so that we can identify strengths and developmental areas.

The course will be based on the learning outcomes of three units that make up the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for adult care (governance, managing a domiciliary service, and quality assurance). Your mentor will will draw from their experience as they explore with you both the business and care side of your organisation. We will examine person-centred care, your recruitment, assessments, care planning, reviews and other regulatory requirements such as information management, food safety, health and safety.

The course will outline key areas for your CQC interview and handy tips regarding managing your service effectively. It will highlight your role and responsibilities, the relationship between your policies, regulations, legislation, standards, choices, privacy, partnership working, meeting needs, and the assessment criteria used by the CQC.

The focus of the course is not to just prepare for the cqc interview but to also give you the confidence to be able to implement some of the strategies provided in order to run your service safely and effectively. For example, how to develop your business, network with others, risk manage, recruit safely, build a culture influenced by human rights and person-centred values which are all areas that lead to being rated as a well-led organisation.

We estimate six to ten hours for the course, depending on your progress. The course is suitable for nominated individuals, registered managers, and directors. The cost of the course is £230.

Service	Duration in hours	Fee
One Hour	One Hour Fit Person Mentoring	£35 Book
Two Hour Mentoring	Two Hour Fit Person Mentoring - Can be delivered over two sessions	£60 Book
Five Hours Mentoring	Five Hour Fit Person Mentoring - Can be delivered over four sessions	£130 Book
Fit Person Course	Course covered over 6 to 10 hours	£230 Book

Preparing for the CQC Fit Person Interview

This interview needs to be taken seriously as you will not be registered if you do not successfully demonstrate you are a fit and proper (suitable) person who can run the care business safely and meet all regulatory requirements. Remember, the role of a registered manager is enshrined in law. You and your organisation (registered provider) have a joint responsibility under the regulations.

As part of your preparation, you have to try your best to be calm and reflect about the purpose of the interview. You do not need to be afraid. The fit and proper person interview is not there to trap you or make your life difficult. It is an opportunity for you to demonstrate to the CQC inspector that you are ready to provide a safe service and meet all regulations. You will be ready to face the interview if you take your time to truly understand about your services, service user bands, plans, policies, procedures and CQC Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOE).

Ensure you have your evidence on hand when it comes to your experience (managing and leadership), qualifications, employment history, knowledge and an understanding of the service you will be managing. The CQC will also want to know about any criminal records or any other character and behavioural issues such as disciplinary procedures. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation 19 you are required to be of good character. Where there are issues such as fraud, theft and robbery there should be clear risk assessments and assurances given to CQC to protect the people who will be using your service.

During the Interview

The CQC inspector might be with a colleague who will assist mainly with administrative tasks during the interview. You need to have a good insight about your own organisation and what it intends to do. You might be asked about the service user bands, demographics of the clients who will be using your service, recruitment and basic business information such as any marketing research you have conducted. You might also be asked about the source of your finances. The CQC inspector might also want to know about the balance of power in your organisation in particular where there are many senior members of staff. They would seek clarification on different roles and responsibilities and ensure there is clear accountability. The interview will address the role of the registered manager and nominated individual. If you are going to be performing both roles it is advisable to have a conflict of interest policy in place.

The CQC fit person interview is not just about memorising regulations and knowing them. You need to demonstrate your understanding and application in practice. The CQC inspector will unlikely not going to ask you to name regulations. They will however likely ask direct questions about your practice or give you scenarios that will address your competency against the fundamental standards.

You will be expected to have a good idea and understanding of all the policies and procedures in place. Your role and responsibility during the interview is to demonstrate how all the essential standards have actually been embedded and implemented by your service. You will need to demonstrate how you are going to run the service by carrying out effective recruitment which includes ensuring references and DBS checks have been made for all staff.

There should be policies and procedures regarding how you seek consent and promote involvement of people using your service, you need to be articulate regarding how you carry out assessment of needs and risks. There should be care plans for each of the people who will use your service. You should fully embrace the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2006, Equality Act 2010, and have systems in place to check for quality. There should also be systems to address when things go wrong such as complaints and safeguarding. Your knowledge and practice should embrace GDPR 2018 regulations, safe handling of medication, the Care Act 2014 and Health and Social Care Act 2008 among many other legislation and regulations associated with your practice.

Do not aim for the minimum when responding to the questions and scenarios put forward by the CQC inspector. Your aim is to convince the CQC that you have a clear over sight of your business and know what you are doing with appropriate skills and expertise. You are required after all to prove you can provide a safe, effective, caring and well-led service.

Before responding to any questions please pose to think how this relates to any of the fundamental standards. Do not get carried away and lose your composure which might result in you not fully reflecting your ability, professionalism, knowledge, understanding, policies and procedures. The CQC inspector will quote and record your response which they will refer to when making a decision about your application to become a registered manager.

Sometimes depending on the situation, further opportunities might be given to clarify or submit further evidence. The CQC might also choose to register you with some restrictions by issuing a "Notice of proposal to Register with conditions".

Unsuccessful (Failed) CQC Fit Person Interview

Like any interview, you can be unsuccessful with your CQC Fit Person Interview. It is possible for the interview to go wrong if you are unable to convince the CQC inspector that you fully understand and can perform the demands of your role. The decision is normally made after a few weeks. It is possible for the interview to end after a short time if it is clear you are not prepared, do not understand the regulations and are a risk to others.

The inspector in this case can give you informal verbal feedback. They will issue a Notice of Proposal to refuse an application to register as a manager in respect of a regulated activity when your fit person interview has not been successful. You have up to 28 days from the date the notice is served to make written representations. We are able to assist you to make representations and come up with a detailed action plan to address each of the reasons given to refuse registration. Please refer to our representations web page.

Depending on your situation, there is some comfort that a negative outcome of a fit person interview can be turned to positive if you successfully address any concerns highlighted by the CQC Inspector. For example regarding finances and training.