For providers and compliance teams
Regulation news in plain English, tailored to the sector you work in
What changed, who it affects, what you must do and by when. Plus a checklist for the day an inspector turns up without warning.
Pick your sector to tailor the site
Children's homes · OfstedNo notice
Children's homes and supported accommodation: be ready when Ofsted calls
No notice. Ofsted says all inspections of children's homes are unannounced.
Who inspects
Ofsted
What they check
Children's experiences and progress, how well children are helped and protected, and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.
Do this now
Work through the 10-point knock checklist with your team.
Adult social care · CQCNotice varies
Adult care homes and home care: be ready when CQC calls
Can be unannounced. How much notice you get depends on the type of service and the reason for the visit.
Who inspects
CQC
What they check
Whether services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
Do this now
Work through the 10-point knock checklist with your team.
Healthcare · CQCNotice varies
GP practices, dentists and clinics: be ready when CQC calls
Can be unannounced. Notice depends on the type of service and the reason for the visit.
Who inspects
CQC
What they check
Whether services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
Do this now
Work through the 8-point knock checklist with your team.
Nurseries and childminders · OfstedShort notice
Nurseries, pre-schools and childminders: be ready when Ofsted calls
Short notice. Group settings usually get a call the working day before; Ofsted can still inspect without notice.
Who inspects
Ofsted
What they check
The quality of education, children's safety and welfare, and leadership.
Do this now
Work through the 8-point knock checklist with your team.
Source: Ofsted early years inspection operating guide (from November 2025)
Schools · OfstedShort notice
Schools and academies: be ready when Ofsted calls
Short notice. Schools usually get a call the working day before.
Who inspects
Ofsted
What they check
The school's report card areas, including safeguarding, which is judged as met or not met.
Do this now
Work through the 6-point knock checklist with your team.
Source: Ofsted school inspection toolkit and operating guide
Pharmacies · GPhCNo notice
Community pharmacies: be ready when GPhC calls
Unannounced. The GPhC has moved to unannounced pharmacy inspections.
Who inspects
GPhC
What they check
Whether the pharmacy meets the GPhC standards for registered pharmacies.
Do this now
Work through the 7-point knock checklist with your team.
Source: The Pharmacist: GPhC confirms move towards unannounced inspections
Food businesses · Council environmental healthNo notice
Restaurants, takeaways, cafes and caterers: be ready when Council environmental health calls
Usually unannounced, so officers see the business as it runs day to day.
Who inspects
Council environmental health
What they check
Hygienic food handling, the condition of the premises, and how food safety is managed.
Do this now
Work through the 8-point knock checklist with your team.
Pubs, clubs and late-night venues · Council licensing and policeNo notice
Licensed premises: be ready when Council licensing and police calls
Can be unannounced.
Who inspects
Council licensing and police
What they check
Whether you keep to your premises licence conditions and the licensing objectives.
Do this now
Work through the 7-point knock checklist with your team.
Betting shops and arcades · Gambling Commission and councilsNo notice
Gambling premises: be ready when Gambling Commission and councils calls
Can be unannounced, including test purchasing.
Who inspects
Gambling Commission and councils
What they check
Your licence conditions and codes of practice, including age verification and safer gambling.
Do this now
Work through the 6-point knock checklist with your team.
Age-restricted sales · Trading StandardsNo notice
Shops selling alcohol, vapes, tobacco and knives: be ready when Trading Standards calls
Test purchases happen with no warning.
Who inspects
Trading Standards
What they check
Whether staff refuse sales to under-age customers and follow the law on age-restricted products.
Do this now
Work through the 5-point knock checklist with your team.
Health and safety at work · HSE or your councilNo notice
Any workplace: be ready when HSE or your council calls
Inspectors can enter at any reasonable time.
Who inspects
HSE or your council
What they check
How you manage risks to workers and the public.
Do this now
Work through the 7-point knock checklist with your team.
Right to work and minimum wage · Home Office and HMRCNotice varies
Any employer: be ready when Home Office and HMRC calls
Can be unannounced.
Who inspects
Home Office and HMRC
What they check
Right-to-work checks for every worker, and pay at or above the National Minimum Wage.
Do this now
Work through the 5-point knock checklist with your team.
Animal businesses · Council animal licensingNotice varies
Dog breeders, kennels, pet shops and riding schools: be ready when Council animal licensing calls
Can be unannounced.
Who inspects
Council animal licensing
What they check
Whether you meet the licence conditions for animal welfare.
Do this now
Work through the 5-point knock checklist with your team.
Source: Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018
Security and door supervisors · SIANo notice
Security firms and door supervisors: be ready when SIA calls
Spot checks can happen at venues without warning.
Who inspects
SIA
What they check
Whether staff hold valid SIA licences and wear them, and whether businesses deploy licensed staff.
Do this now
Work through the 5-point knock checklist with your team.
Waste sites · Environment AgencyNotice varies
Waste sites and carriers: be ready when Environment Agency calls
Can be unannounced.
Who inspects
Environment Agency
What they check
Whether you meet your environmental permit or exemption conditions.
Do this now
Work through the 5-point knock checklist with your team.
Regulatory calendar
See every dateNOV 2026 (provisional)
Ownership of children's social care providers in England 2026
Ofsted · Statistics
Date TBC
Outcome: improving the way Ofsted inspects children's social care
Ofsted · Consultation outcome
Monthly
Your recurring duties
- Reg 44 independent person visit: at least once a month
- Reg 45 quality of care review: at least every six months
- Statement of Purpose review
- Gas safety check: every 12 months
Your recurring duties
- Care plan reviews
- Medicines audit
- Fire drills and fire risk assessment review
- Gas safety check: every 12 months
Your recurring duties
- Infection control audit
- Emergency medicines and equipment checks
- Professional registration checks
Your recurring duties
- Paediatric first aid renewal (certificates last three years)
- Risk assessment reviews
- Safeguarding training refresh
Your recurring duties
- Single central record check
- Safeguarding policy review: every year
- Governor training
Your recurring duties
- Controlled drug balance checks
- SOP reviews
- Fridge temperature records: daily
Your recurring duties
- Food safety records: daily
- Pest control visits
- Allergen information review whenever a recipe changes
Your recurring duties
- Staff licence-condition training refresh
- CCTV checks
- Premises licence annual fee
Your recurring duties
- Local area risk assessment review
- Staff safer gambling training
- Age-verification test results review
Your recurring duties
- Staff refresher training on age-restricted sales
- Refusals log review
Your recurring duties
- Risk assessment reviews
- Fire drills
- Equipment inspections
- Employers' liability insurance renewal
Your recurring duties
- Follow-up right-to-work checks for time-limited permission
- Minimum wage rates change each April
Your recurring duties
- SIA licence renewals (front-line licences last three years)
- Deployment record audits
Your recurring duties
- Permit compliance review
- Fire prevention plan review
- Waste transfer note audit
No dated events for this sector yet. We add them as regulators announce them.
Pick a sector to see your recurring dutiesReg 44 visits, gas safety checks, licence renewals and more.
Inspection tracker
Every Ofsted children's social care provider and every CQC-rated service, searchable by area
Built on the regulators' own open data. Food hygiene ratings come live from the Food Standards Agency.
4,747children's homes in Ofsted's provider data (31 Mar 2026)
13,721CQC-rated care homes (1 Oct 2026)
35,263CQC-rated locations in total
Livefood hygiene ratings
Fifteen sectors, ordered by how much warning you get
Every sector page has a knock checklist: the records an inspector asks for first, so you are ready whenever they arrive.
Children's homesNo noticeOfstedPharmaciesNo noticeGPhCFood businessesNo noticeCouncil environmental healthPubs, clubs and late-night venuesNo noticeCouncil licensing and policeBetting shops and arcadesNo noticeGambling Commission and councilsAge-restricted salesNo noticeTrading StandardsHealth and safety at workNo noticeHSE or your councilSecurity and door supervisorsNo noticeSIAAdult social careNotice variesCQCHealthcareNotice variesCQCRight to work and minimum wageNotice variesHome Office and HMRCAnimal businessesNotice variesCouncil animal licensingWaste sitesNotice variesEnvironment AgencyNurseries and childmindersShort noticeOfstedSchoolsShort noticeOfsted
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