Scope of registration
Do I need to register a manager?
A manager is a person who is in day-to-day charge of delivering a service provider's regulated activity, or a service provider's regulated activity in a particular location. The Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 set out the circumstances in which a service must have a registered manager as a condition of its registration. These are:
- Any service provider that is an organisation – whether corporate (for example, a company) or unincorporated (for example, a partnership or a charity) – must have a registered manager for every regulated activity that it carries on, unless it is a health service body. Health service bodies such as English NHS trusts do not need to have a registered manager unless we impose a condition on their registration that requires one. Others – including independent organisations that work under contract to the NHS – must always have a registered manager.
- If the service provider is an individual, they do not need to have a registered manager unless they are not a fit person to manage the regulated activity, or they do not intend to be in day-to-day charge of how the regulated activity is provided. See what we mean by ‘fitness’.
When we register NHS trusts that have a care home and provide the regulated activity of Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care, we will use our discretion and may impose a condition to have a registered manager. This is because we consider the role of a manager who is in day-to-day charge of these services to be fundamental to providing positive outcomes for people who use the service.
To assess whether an individual is a fit person to manage the regulated activity, we consider whether they are:
- of good character
- physically and mentally able to manage the activity (taking into account any reasonable adjustments or plans that may support them to undertake the role)
- able to demonstrate that they have the necessary qualifications, competence, skills and experience to manage how the regulated activity is carried on
- able to provide the following required information:
- proof of identity
- enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with barred list information
- employment history including evidence of conduct (such as references) and reason for leaving, where the work involved children or vulnerable adults
- records of qualifications
- evidence of health (such as a medical reference).
Registered managers can be registered for more than one regulated activity. They can also be responsible for more than one location if they can provide evidence that they are able to do this effectively.