Developers - Regulated activities: check if you need to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

If you are providing, or you intend to provide, health or adult social care activities in England, you may be legally required to register with the Care Quality Commission under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.

It makes sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care and encourages services to improve.

If you provide an activity that is in the scope of registration, you are required by law to register with CQC.

Check to see if you are providing an activity in scope. You’ll only need to register with CQC if you do.

Regulated activities

The regulated activities are:

• Personal care
• Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care
• Accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
• Assessment or medical treatment for people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
• Surgical procedures
• Diagnostic and screening procedures
• Management of supply of blood and blood-derived products
• Transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely
• Maternity and midwifery services
• Termination of pregnancies
• Services in slimming clinics
• Nursing care
• Family planning services

For a more detailed explanation of who may need to register and a description of each regulated activity, see CQC's scope of registration.

When artificial intelligence (AI) or digital technologies form part of a regulated activity

If you use AI-driven technologies as part of delivering a service, you need to check if the adoption and use of the technology constitutes a regulated activity. If you determine that it is a regulated activity, and you are not already registered with CQC to provide it, you will be 'carrying on' the regulated activity and will therefore need to register.

It is the use of this technology that may be a regulated activity, rather than the supply of the technology.

If you are supplying AI, which another care provider uses to provide a regulated activity, you do not need to register, but they may need to.

Example:

Need to register: your company makes a diagnosis using AI and sends the results back to the referrer who does not double check your diagnosis.

You do not need to register: your company supplies AI to an NHS or other healthcare provider. That provider, and its clinical teams, use the AI-driven technologies to make a diagnosis.

CQC registration

To register with CQC, you need to show that you meet requirements. You must also show you will provide and manage services that are safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well led.

Submit your application to CQC

If you need to register, submit your application online to CQC.

Register as a new provider on CQC's website