When people hear ‘CQC is coming,’ everyone panics – even when we’re doing everything right.”
That was the honest reflection from Caroline, a support worker with Nightingale House (Progress Adult Services), who recently visited the CQC headquarters in London as part of her role on The Care Workers’ Charity Champions Board. There, she helped challenge common fears and misconceptions about inspections and spoke up for care workers across the country.
Caroline from Progress Adult Services’ Nightingale House recently took part in a key conversation at the headquarters of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), where she represented care workers as a member of The Care Workers’ Charity Champions Board. The meeting brought together frontline staff and CQC representatives to have an open discussion about what inspections feel like from the perspective of care workers. Caroline said the topic that kept coming up was the pressure people feel when they hear that CQC is visiting.
“Everyone goes into panic mode, even though we’re doing things properly every day. But CQC told us they’re not there to catch us out. They’re there to support us too,” she said. For Caroline, taking part helped shift how she views inspections. “It made me feel more relaxed. It helped to bust some of the myths. I definitely gained something from it.”
Caroline joined the Champions Board after seeing a call for applications from The Care Workers’ Charity shared internally by Progress.
“I put my name forward when the opportunity came up. I had a phone call where they asked me lots of questions, and after that, they invited me to join. We meet regularly on Zoom, and we’ve also had a roundtable event in London.”
In September 2024, The Care Workers’ Charity launched The Care Workers Advisory Board and Care Worker Champions Project. The Advisory Board and Champions Project is groundbreaking, aiming to embed care workers’ voices into mainstream policy, research and practice discussions and decision making. Through the board, Caroline said she has heard a wide range of stories from other care workers across the country.
“My favourite part is listening to people’s stories. Some of them are honestly like horror stories. I know I’m lucky because Progress looks after us. I don’t feel afraid to speak to management if I’m struggling. They even allowed me to reduce my hours when I needed to.”
She also spoke about wider issues affecting people working in care, especially around recognition, and the perception that care workers are unskilled. “I’ve had more training at Progress than I had anywhere else. We’re trained in manual handling, hoisting, meds, first aid, and so much more.”
Caroline said she is proud to be part of a group working to challenge these perceptions and push for better treatment of care workers. “We are highly skilled which is why we are trying to change the way care workers are seen and treated. I’m proud to be a voice for the sector.”
Her contribution shows how Progress staff are helping shape the future of social care through action, experience and advocacy.
Progress is a Supporter Member of The Care Workers Charity. Learn more about our support for the charity here.