HSC England September 2026 release notes

Welcome to the September 2026 policy updates. Please note policies are rapidly changing to a new format. Quality Statements are evidenced clearly at the start of the policy, and a detailed Procedures section has been clearly separated out in the policies. For structured details on these policy updates, please see this>

This article will be updated throughout September.

This update restructures the Fire Safety Policy into the seven-section format, quotes the relevant CQC quality statements in Section 1, corrects the equality statement, updates outdated legislation and standards, corrects the fire-drill frequency guidance, and removes both personalised fields. The policy now covers all settings: care homes, offices and people’s own homes - with balanced residential and community callouts, and clearly states who the legal “responsible person” is in each setting.

Released 8 September

This update restructures the Missed and Late Visit Policy into the seven-section format, quotes the relevant quality statements in Section 1, corrects the equality statement, adds step-by-step procedures, and removes both personalised fields. Most significantly, it redefines a “late” visit by the person’s own agreed call tolerance rather than a fixed threshold. It remains a community (domiciliary) policy.

Released 8 September

This update restructures the policy into the seven-section format, quotes the relevant quality statements in Section 1, corrects the equality statement, updates outdated references, and removes both personalised fields. The policy now covers all settings: community, residential and nursing - with a clear distinction between delegated tasks (unregistered staff) and a registered nurse’s own scope of practice.

Released 8 September

This update removes the personalised field "dementia champion" and makes this fixed text.

Released 8 September