A care home's statutory compliance calendar spans fire safety (Fire Safety Order 2005), water hygiene (ACOP L8), electrical (Electricity at Work Regulations 1989), gas (Gas Safety Regulations 1998), lifts and hoists (LOLER 1998), asbestos (CAR 2012), pressure systems (PSSR 2000) and air conditioning (TM44). Frequencies run from weekly alarm tests to five-yearly electrical inspections. CQC assesses the evidence under Regulations 12, 15 and 17.
The legal duty
A care home is simultaneously a workplace, a residence for people who cannot self-evacuate, a catering operation, a building with lifting equipment, and a regulated service. Each of those attracts its own statutory regime, and the registered provider holds all of them at once. This checklist sets out every discipline, the governing instrument, the frequency, and the evidence the Care Quality Commission and the enforcing authorities expect to see.
Two framing points before the matrix. First, the frequencies below are a mixture of statutory intervals (LOLER six months), approved code of practice defaults (HSG274 monthly temperatures), British Standard recommendations (BS 5839-1 six-monthly alarm servicing) and guidance (IET Guidance Note 3 five-year EICR). The table marks which is which, because a British Standard interval can be varied by a documented risk assessment and a statutory interval cannot. Second, CQC does not itself enforce fire or health and safety law. It assesses whether the provider has a safe environment and good governance under Regulations 12, 15 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and it refers concerns to the fire and rescue authority or the health and safety enforcing authority. The consequence is that missing records are a CQC finding even where the work was done. For how the responsible person role is allocated across a portfolio, see our duty holder guide.
The compliance matrix
Care home statutory compliance matrix by discipline
| Discipline | Governing instrument | Task | Frequency | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire risk assessment | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Art. 9 | Suitable and sufficient assessment, recorded in full | Review regularly and on change; annual review common | Statutory duty, interval by risk |
| Fire alarm | Fire Safety Order Art. 17; BS 5839-1 | Weekly call point test; periodic inspection and servicing | Weekly test; service at intervals not exceeding 6 months | Standard |
| Emergency lighting | Fire Safety Order Art. 17; BS 5266-1 | Function test; full rated duration test | Monthly function; annual 3-hour duration | Standard |
| Fire extinguishers | Fire Safety Order Art. 17; BS 5306-3 | Basic service; extended service | Annual; extended at 5 years (10 for CO2) | Standard |
| Fire doors | Fire Safety Order Art. 17; BS 8214 | Inspection of leaf, seals, gaps, closers | At least 6-monthly; monthly staff checks common | Standard, interval by risk |
| Sprinklers (where fitted) | Fire Safety Order Art. 17; BS 9251 or BS EN 12845 | Weekly checks; annual inspection and service | Weekly; annual | Standard |
| Evacuation aids and PEEPs | Fire Safety Order Arts. 14, 15, 21 | Personal emergency evacuation plans; evacuation equipment checks; staff drills | PEEP on admission and on change; drills per assessment | Statutory duty, detail by risk |
| Legionella | HSWA 1974; COSHH 2002; ACOP L8; HSG274 Part 2 | Risk assessment; written scheme; monitoring | Weekly flushing; monthly temperatures; quarterly showerheads; 6-monthly tank temperatures; annual tank inspection | ACOP, interval by written scheme |
| Thermostatic mixing valves | HSG274 Part 2; HSE HSIS6 | Service and fail-safe test; blended water at or below 44 degrees Celsius | Annual | Guidance |
| Fixed electrical installation | Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, Reg. 4(2); BS 7671; IET GN3 | Periodic inspection and EICR | Maximum 5 years recommended for residential accommodation | Guidance |
| Portable and movable equipment | Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; IET Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing | User checks, formal visual inspection, combined inspection and test | Risk-based; set per equipment class | Guidance |
| Gas installation and appliances | Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regs. 35 and 36 | Safety check and servicing by Gas Safe registered engineer | Annual | Statutory duty (Reg. 36 where let); annual servicing per Reg. 35 |
| Passenger lifts | LOLER 1998, Reg. 9 | Thorough examination by competent person | At least every 6 months | Statutory |
| Hoists, ceiling tracks, bath hoists, slings | LOLER 1998, Reg. 9 | Thorough examination | At least every 6 months | Statutory |
| Lift and hoist maintenance | PUWER 1998, Reg. 5 | Maintenance in efficient working order | Per maintenance contract | Statutory duty, interval by risk |
| Asbestos | Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, Reg. 4 | Management survey; management plan; re-inspection of ACMs | Plan reviewed regularly; re-inspection commonly annual per HSG227 | Statutory duty, interval by plan |
| Pressure systems (boilers, calorifiers, autoclaves) | Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 | Written scheme of examination; examination | Per written scheme | Statutory |
| Air conditioning over 12 kW | Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 | TM44 inspection and report | Every 5 years | Statutory (England and Wales) |
| Kitchen extract ductwork | Fire Safety Order Art. 17; BESA TR19 Grease | Grease removal and verification report | By usage: heavy 3-monthly, moderate 6-monthly, light annual | Industry specification; insurer condition |
| Lightning protection (where fitted) | BS EN 62305 | Inspection and test | Annual recommended | Standard |
| Window restrictors, radiator covers, bed rails | HSWA 1974; CQC Regulation 15; HSE and MHRA guidance | Inspection as part of premises checks | Per risk assessment | Guidance |
Fire safety in more depth
The care home fire strategy almost always depends on progressive horizontal evacuation: moving residents through a fire door into an adjacent compartment rather than out of the building. That strategy makes three items in the matrix critical rather than routine.
- Fire doors. Every bedroom door and every sub-compartment door is a life safety device. Our fire door inspection requirements guide explains the regime; for care homes, the fire risk assessment should set a monthly staff check and a six-monthly certificated inspection.
- Fire alarm cause and effect. Staff alarm and phased alarm arrangements must match the evacuation strategy and be tested as programmed, not just at the call point.
- Staffing at night. The fire risk assessment must evaluate whether the night staff complement can execute the evacuation strategy. This is the finding fire and rescue authorities raise most often in care home enforcement.
The fire risk assessment is the document that ties these together. Our fire risk assessment requirements guide covers who must do it, the PAS 79 method and the recording duties introduced by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Water hygiene in more depth
Care home residents are among the most susceptible groups for Legionnaires' disease, and the building design works against control: long runs to en-suites, blended water at TMVs, and rooms that stand empty between residents. Our legionella testing frequency guide for care homes sets out the HSG274 Part 2 schedule, the scalding balance under HSIS6, when sampling is advised and the five-year record retention. The finding that recurs in CQC reports is not a positive sample; it is a gap in the monthly temperature log or the vacant room flushing record.
Lifts and hoists in more depth
Care homes hold more lifting equipment per building than almost any other sector: passenger lifts, ceiling track hoists in bedrooms, mobile hoists, bath hoists, standing aids and the slings that go with them. All of it is lifting equipment for lifting persons or a lifting accessory under LOLER 1998 and all of it needs a thorough examination at least every six months by a competent person, with a written report under Regulation 10. Maintenance under PUWER 1998 is a separate duty and a separate contract. Our LOLER versus PUWER guide explains the reports, defect notification and why the maintenance engineer's visit does not satisfy the examination duty.
Electrical, gas and HVAC in more depth
The EICR interval recommended by IET Guidance Note 3 for residential accommodation is five years, subject to the previous report. Care homes have heavy loads from medical equipment, profiling beds and kitchen plant, so the report should be read closely for C2 observations on overloaded circuits. Our commercial EICR cost guide explains the codes and how to keep inspection and remedial pricing separate.
Gas appliances and installations need an annual safety check and servicing by a Gas Safe registered engineer under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, with commercial catering appliances covered by an engineer holding the relevant commercial catering competences.
Air conditioning with an effective rated output over 12 kilowatts needs a TM44 inspection every five years in England and Wales under the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012. Kitchen extract ductwork should be cleaned to BESA TR19 Grease at a frequency set by cooking hours, and insurers routinely make the certificate a policy condition; see our TR19 duct cleaning requirements guide.
Devolved nations
Health and safety law (HSWA 1974, COSHH, LOLER, PUWER, Electricity at Work Regulations, CAR 2012, PSSR 2000) applies across Great Britain, with Northern Ireland operating parallel regulations. Fire safety law and the care regulator differ.
Care home regulators and fire law by UK nation
| Nation | Fire safety instrument | Care regulator |
|---|---|---|
| England | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | Care Quality Commission |
| Wales | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | Care Inspectorate Wales |
| Scotland | Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 | Care Inspectorate |
| Northern Ireland | Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006; Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 | Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority |
Building the evidence file
The provider should be able to produce, for each home, a single compliance file or portal view containing: the current fire risk assessment and action plan; alarm, emergency lighting, extinguisher and fire door records; the legionella risk assessment, written scheme and twelve months of logs; the EICR and remedial certificates; PAT records; the gas safety record; LOLER reports for every lift, hoist and sling with defects closed out; the asbestos register and plan; pressure system written schemes and reports; the TM44 report; and the TR19 Grease verification. Each item should show the date, the contractor, the contractor's competence evidence and the next due date. That file is what CQC, the fire and rescue authority, the insurer and a prospective buyer of the business will all ask for.
Working with TICDesk
TICDesk is a UK procurement desk for testing, inspection and compliance work. Tell us the homes, the disciplines that are due or overdue and your deadline, and we introduce up to three vetted providers per discipline, typically within 48 hours. The service is free to the client; TICDesk earns a success fee from the contractor. Visit our desks for fire safety, water hygiene, electrical, lifts and HVAC, or open a brief.
Frequently asked
What statutory inspections does a care home need?
The core set is a fire risk assessment with alarm, emergency lighting, extinguisher and fire door maintenance; a legionella risk assessment with monthly monitoring; a periodic electrical inspection (EICR) and in-service equipment testing; annual gas safety inspection; six-monthly LOLER thorough examinations of passenger lifts, hoists and slings; an asbestos management survey and plan for buildings built before 2000; written scheme examinations of pressure systems; and a TM44 inspection where air conditioning exceeds 12 kilowatts. Kitchen extract cleaning to TR19 Grease is expected by insurers.
How often does a care home need a fire risk assessment?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the assessment to be reviewed regularly and whenever there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change. There is no statutory interval. Because residents cannot self-evacuate and dependency changes over time, care operators commonly review annually and commission a full reassessment at the interval the assessor recommends, with an immediate review after any fire, refurbishment or change in evacuation strategy.
Does CQC check fire and water compliance?
Yes. The Care Quality Commission assesses safe environments under Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) and Regulation 15 (premises and equipment) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and record keeping under Regulation 17 (good governance). Inspectors ask for the fire risk assessment, legionella records, gas and electrical certificates and lift examination reports. CQC does not enforce fire or health and safety law itself but refers concerns to the fire and rescue authority or the enforcing authority.
How often do care home hoists need inspecting?
Hoists used to lift residents, and the slings used with them, are lifting equipment for lifting persons and lifting accessories under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Regulation 9 requires a thorough examination at least every six months, or in accordance with a written scheme drawn up by a competent person. Passenger lifts fall under the same six-month interval. Bath hoists, ceiling track hoists and mobile hoists are all included.
How often does a care home need an EICR?
IET Guidance Note 3 recommends a maximum interval of five years between periodic inspections for residential accommodation, which includes care homes, subject to the previous report recommending a shorter period. The underlying legal duty is Regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 to maintain electrical systems so as to prevent danger. Portable appliance testing follows the IET Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing, with intervals set by risk rather than a fixed annual rule.
Who is responsible for compliance in a care home?
The registered provider is the employer and therefore the responsible person under the Fire Safety Order and the duty holder under health and safety law. The registered manager is accountable to CQC for the service. Where the building is leased, the landlord may hold duties for structure and shared plant, and the lease should allocate them. Contractors carry out the work, but the liability for ensuring it is done, and recorded, stays with the provider.
Do the same rules apply to care homes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, COSHH, LOLER, PUWER and the Electricity at Work Regulations apply across Great Britain, with Northern Ireland equivalents. Fire safety law differs: the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 in Scotland, the Fire Safety Order in Wales, and the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 in Northern Ireland. The care regulators are the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales, and the RQIA in Northern Ireland.
Sources & further reading
