Understanding the Care Quality Commission's Service Types

All health and social care providers are required to register with the Care Quality Commission to demonstrate that they are meeting the standards laid out by the CQC. The standards that you are required to meet and are expected to demonstrate before you can gain registration, vary depending on the service type that you as an organisation, individual or partnership, are classified as.

The Care Quality Commission has defined 28 different service types in all and it is essential that you determine which 'type' or 'types' you are classified as before you begin the CQC registration process. Failing to identify the correct categories could mean that you fail to realise certain standards that are expected of you, which in turn could result in your application being rejected. It is important to note that you may fall into more than one category and in this instance you need to address all of the standards defined within all of the categories that you fall within.

The following details all of the service types available, their associated codes, as used by the CQC, and an example of the kind of provider that may fall within each of the categories:

1. Acute services - ACS

• Maternity hospitals

2. Hyperbaric chamber services - HBC

• Type 1 hyperbaric chambers

3. Hospice services - HPS

• Adult hospices

4. Long-term conditions services - LTC

• Complex care and support provided to individuals with physical or neurological illnesses that are unlikely to improve

5. Hospital services for people with mental health needs, and/or learning disabilities, and/or problems with substance misuse - MLS

• Child and adolescent mental health providers

6. Prison healthcare services - PHS

• Young offenders institutions

7. Rehabilitation services - RHS

• Rehabilitation units

8. Residential substance misuse treatment / rehabilitation services - RSM

• Crisis intervention units

9. Community healthcare services - CHC

• District nursing

10. Doctors consultation services - DCS

• Slimming clinics

11. Doctors treatment services - DTS

• Travel vaccination centres

12. Dental services - DEN

• NHS Dental practice

13. Diagnostic and/or screening services - DSS

• Health screening centres

14. Community-based services for people with a learning disability - LDC

• Community learning disabilities teams

15. Mobile doctors services - MBS

• GP out-of-hours providers

16. Community-based services for people with mental health needs - MHC

• Community mental health teams

17. Community-based services for people who misuse substances - SMC

• Community drug and alcohol teams

18. Urgent care services - UCS

• Walk-in clinic

19. Care home services with nursing - CHN

• Nursing home

20. Care home services without nursing - CHS

• Residential home

21. Specialist college services - SPC

• Personal care and accommodation provided by a college for young people with learning and/or physical disabilities

22. Domiciliary care services including those provided for children - DCC

• Domiciliary care agency

23. Extra care housing services - EXC

• Care provided within purpose built accommodation

24. Shared lives (Formerly adult placement) - SHL

• Care provided by a trained individual, couple or family, inside or outside of the home

25. Supported living services - SLS

• Care provided to a person living in their own home

26. Ambulance services - AMB

• Patient transport

27. Blood and transport services - BTS

• NHS Blood and transport

28. Remote clinical advice services - RCA

• NHS Direct

The examples given above are by no means an exhaustive list and the range of organisations that need to be regulated by the Care Quality Commission is extensive, so if you provide any form of health or social care services then you will almost certainly fall within one of the above service types.