CQC Statement of Purpose: What to Include and Common Mistakes to Avoid

What is a Statement of Purpose?

A Statement of Purpose (SoP) is a formal, legally required document that every provider must have in place before registering with CQC. It is governed by Schedule 3 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, which sets out a specific list of information that must be included.

The SoP serves two purposes: it is submitted to CQC as part of your registration application, and it must be displayed at your service and made available to service users, their families, and anyone else who asks to see it.

What must a Statement of Purpose include?

Schedule 3 requires the Statement of Purpose to contain:

• The name and address of the registered person
• The name of the registered manager (if different from the provider)
• The legal status of the registered person
• The regulated activities being carried on
• The aims and objectives of the service
• The kinds of service provided and the range of service users' needs that the service is intended to meet

In practice, CQC expects significantly more detail than this bare legal minimum. A weak SoP that only meets the Schedule 3 minimum is likely to trigger follow-up questions or requests for more information, delaying your registration.

Common mistakes

The most common mistakes in Statements of Purpose include: excessive use of generic language that could apply to any service; an inadequate description of the service user profile and their specific needs; vague statements about staffing that do not reflect your actual proposed staffing structure; and a failure to describe how the service will be managed and monitored.

Writing a strong SoP

Write your SoP as if you are describing your service to someone who has never seen it. Be specific about who you will support, what their typical needs are, and how your service is structured to meet those needs. Use factual language and avoid overused phrases like "person-centred care" without explaining what that means in practice in your service.

Your SoP should be honest about what your service does and does not offer. It is better to define clear eligibility criteria and exclusions than to overpromise and then struggle to deliver.