Using Feedback and Co-Production to Evidence CQC Quality Statements in Practice
CQC Quality Statements place strong emphasis on listening to people, involving them in decisions and ensuring that services reflect their preferences and experiences. However, many providers still treat feedback and co-production as separate or periodic activities rather than integral to daily delivery. This creates a gap between what services claim and what people experience.
This article explores how providers can embed feedback and co-production into the CQC Quality Statements framework, ensuring that lived experience drives service quality. It should be read alongside CQC registration and provider readiness, where engagement and involvement are key expectations.
Why feedback and co-production matter
Quality Statements are fundamentally about how people experience care. Without robust feedback and co-production mechanisms, providers cannot demonstrate whether support is genuinely person centred, responsive or effective.
Feedback should not be seen as reassurance, but as evidence of quality and a driver of improvement.
Understanding how this area links to broader regulatory requirements can help strengthen compliance across services. Our adult social care CQC compliance and governance knowledge hub brings these elements together.
Commissioner expectation: meaningful engagement
Expectation 1: People influence how services are delivered. Commissioners expect providers to show how individuals contribute to decisions about their care and how feedback leads to change.
Regulator expectation: lived experience reflects quality
Expectation 2: Feedback aligns with Quality Statements. Inspectors assess whether people feel listened to, respected and involved, and whether this is consistent across the service.
Embedding feedback into daily practice
Feedback should be gathered regularly and informally, not just through annual surveys. Staff should be encouraged to have ongoing conversations with people about their experience of care.
This ensures that issues are identified early and addressed promptly.
Operational example 1: Daily feedback improving responsiveness
A provider supporting individuals with physical disabilities introduced structured daily check-ins where staff asked simple questions about satisfaction and preferences. Feedback was recorded and reviewed by managers.
This approach identified issues quickly, such as dissatisfaction with visit timing, which were addressed promptly, improving overall experience.
Co-production in care planning and review
Co-production should be embedded in care planning and review processes, ensuring that individuals actively shape their support.
This includes setting goals, agreeing approaches and reviewing outcomes collaboratively.
Operational example 2: Co-produced planning improving outcomes
In one service, care plans were developed through structured co-production sessions. Individuals identified their own priorities, which were then translated into outcomes and delivery approaches.
This led to increased engagement and better alignment between plans and lived experience, which was evidenced during inspection.
Using feedback within governance systems
Feedback should feed into governance and quality assurance systems. Providers should analyse themes, identify trends and use this information to drive improvement.
- Regular analysis of feedback data
- Integration with audit findings
- Clear action planning and follow-up
Operational example 3: Feedback-driven service improvement
A service identified recurring feedback about communication issues. This led to targeted training and changes in how staff interacted with individuals, including more time for discussion and clearer explanations.
Subsequent feedback showed improved satisfaction, demonstrating a clear link between feedback and improvement.
Avoiding common pitfalls
Common issues include:
- Collecting feedback without acting on it
- Over-reliance on formal surveys
- Lack of evidence linking feedback to change
Addressing these gaps strengthens credibility and inspection outcomes.
Making co-production part of culture
Embedding feedback and co-production requires a cultural shift. Staff must see engagement as part of their role, and leaders must reinforce its importance through training, supervision and governance.
From feedback to evidence
Providers that embed feedback and co-production into daily practice are better positioned to evidence CQC Quality Statements. By demonstrating how lived experience shapes delivery, services can provide strong, defensible evidence of quality.