At Care Research, we’re proud to work alongside providers who are committed to delivering outstanding care and constantly striving for improvement. One such organisation is Avante Care & Support, a leading care provider delivering residential, nursing, and homecare services across Kent and London.

 

We recently caught up with Nick Barker, Director of Quality at Avante Care & Support, to hear how our training, Get CQC Ready, helped Avante adapt to the new CQC Single Assessment Framework (SAF) and improve internal processes and inspection outcomes.

The Challenge: Aligning Internal Practice with the SAF

When the CQC introduced the Single Assessment Framework, Avante recognised a clear need to evolve their approach. Their existing internal audits weren’t aligned with the new framework, and they didn’t have a structured way to gather feedback against the Quality Statements.

To address this, they turned to Care Research. Their goal? To upskill more than 40 colleagues across Registered Managers, Deputy Managers, Head Office staff, and even Board members — ensuring that everyone had a clear understanding of the changes and how to respond effectively.

The Training: Empowering Teams with Knowledge and Confidence

Avante attended Care Research’s ‘Get CQC Ready’ Workshop, designed to break down the new framework and equip teams with the tools to succeed.

Nick told us that the sessions helped:

• Deepen understanding of the SAF and its requirements
• Encourage managers to identify areas for improvement
• Emphasise the importance of evidencing stakeholder feedback
• Prompt the adoption of a new audit approach aligned to the SAF and CQC’s scoring methodology

“The training not only improved our team’s confidence and understanding of the Single Assessment Framework, but also directly supported us through a successful CQC inspection.”

The Impact: Stronger Systems, Better Outcomes

Following the training, Avante embedded a range of meaningful changes:

• Introduced a new internal audit process aligned with CQC’s scoring
• Improved collection and scoring of feedback from stakeholders
• Increased digital evidence capture (an ongoing project)
• Engaged external mock inspectors to ensure their approaches were updated and robust

The benefits were quickly felt. One service that had previously received a Requires Improvement under a specific KLOE saw this rating improve to Good following a recent inspection.

“Our partnership with Care Research has been an important part of our quality improvement journey at Avante Care & Support.”

Final Thoughts: A Confident Recommendation

Nick described the training as a “10 out of 10” and highly recommends it to other providers navigating the SAF transition.

“Their sessions prompted positive changes in how we collect, score, and act on feedback. This has helped us ensure our systems reflect the expectations of the new framework and build greater assurance at all levels of the organisation.”

Ready to Build Confidence Around the SAF?

If your service is preparing for inspection or looking to improve how you evidence quality, our Get CQC Ready  training can help. Like Avante, you’ll gain a practical understanding of the framework, empower your team, and ensure your systems are inspection-ready.

📩 Get in touch or book a call to learn more.