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How to evidence staff training for a CQC inspection

Short answer

Inspectors want to see that every person has done the training their role needs, when they did it, with which provider, when it is due again, and that someone is watching the gaps. A training matrix that updates itself from certificates, with expiry dates against every course, answers all of that. A folder of PDFs does not.

What "evidence" means to an inspector

A certificate on its own is a claim. Evidence is the certificate plus the date, the provider, the course content, the expiry, and where the role needs it, a record that the person was observed to be competent. Inspectors will pick a name and ask to see all of that in one place. They will then ask the question that catches most providers out: who is overdue right now?

The training matrix, done properly

One row per person, one column per course, and in each cell a date and a colour: in date, due within the month, overdue, not required for this role. That is the matrix. The difference between a good one and a bad one is whether it updates itself. A spreadsheet is out of date the day after it is made. A matrix built from the training records is right every morning.

Mandatory versus role-specific

  • For everyone: the Care Certificate for new starters, safeguarding adults, moving and handling, infection control, fire safety, basic life support and first aid, health and safety, food hygiene where relevant, and the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on learning disability and autism at the tier for their role.
  • Role-specific: medication administration and competency sign-off, PMVA or de-escalation, dementia, epilepsy, catheter care, and anything the care plans in your service require.

Write the list for each role. A matrix that shows a cleaner as overdue for medication training is telling the inspector you have not.

Refresher periods

Most mandatory courses are refreshed yearly or every three years, depending on the subject and your policy. Whatever you set, the expiry has to be recorded against the certificate and counted down, not remembered.

Making it keep itself up to date

The last step is to stop the evidence living in an inbox. When staff train through KCP Training Centre, each completion lands on their staff file in Exhale HR, dated, with the expiry already set. The matrix updates without anyone typing. The inspector's question, who is overdue, is a single screen. DBS re-checks and right-to-work documents sit in the same view.

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  • Accredited health and social care qualifications
  • Over 1,000 CPD courses, studied around shifts
  • Oliver McGowan Tier 1 and Tier 2
  • Completions land on the staff file with the expiry set

Questions people ask alongside this one

Straight answers

Yes, for knowledge-based subjects, provided the course is from a recognised provider and you can show its content. Practical subjects such as moving and handling and first aid need a face-to-face element and a competency check.

You are responsible for knowing that anyone working in your service is trained for it. Ask the agency for the matrix row, record it against the person, and treat expiry the same way as for your own staff.

Yes, under the Health and Care Act 2022, for all health and social care staff registered with CQC. Tier 1 for people who need general awareness, Tier 2 for those who may provide care or support for autistic people or people with a learning disability.

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