What is the purpose of the fit person interview?
This is to assess the applicant's fitness to be registered – not their suitability for the particular job. These are not job interviews – they use them to assess fitness against the criteria in the regulations.
"We use this interview to verify the information we have and to gather new information to help us make a judgement about the fitness of the applicant"
It is not a test that the applicant passes or fails. Matters can be re-visited and assessed outside of the interview.
How long is the interview
CQC quote 30 minutes but it can be a couple of hours.
The interview is not a test of the CQC legislation, but whether you are fit to be a Registered Manager and understand your responsibilities and understand what CQC is about.
Location of interview
These can be held:
- face-to-face
- at a CQC regional office or
- on-site or on the telephone.
The CQC will let you know in advance; you will have time to prepare.
Do I need to know about the legislation?
You do not need detailed knowledge of the legislation, but you should know:-
- It is based on the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The basics of CQC guidance, and compliance requirements.
- What KLOEs are (The 5 Key Domains)
- How inspections are conducted
Detailed knowledge of CQC guidelines and requirements
Very few people have expert or detailed knowledge of the guidelines. How inspections are conducted and what they will ask has changed several times in the last few years, many have lost track
Make sure you know what is meant by the term 'KLOEs', you don't need to know the details.
It is ok to be able to say, "I know what they are about, I know where to find these detailed guidelines, and I intend to follow them."
It's about you
The interview is to determine whether you are a fit and proper person to take on the responsibility of a Registered Manager. Although this is not a recruitment interview, the principles are similar in that you should have a clean background and some history to demonstrate your ability to take this on this role.
Relevant experience
Just like a normal recruitment interview, relevant experience always helps. However, what the CQC are looking for is management and supervision skills, experience in similar trades, and ability to understand and comply with rules and regulations.
Why am I applying?
Applying for any position in Care assumes that you are interested in a profession where the welfare and wellbeing of those in your care is important to you. You need to show that you have the right attitude, motivation and respect for the profession.
Equality & Diversity
This is a hot topic so be prepared to be questioned on this and make sure you are clear in explaining that your values and beliefs align with the requirement to be fair and respectful to all.
Your Qualifications
You must have the necessary qualifications, skills and experience. Professional qualifications make the process easier
You can gain registration without some of the relevant qualifications if you can demonstrate sufficient skills and experience, which can be earned through being "qualified by experience" in that job. Some qualifications may be essential for the job.
What the CQC says: "For the purpose of registration, CQC does not currently require a manager to have a professional qualification in relation to any particular regulated activity within either health or adult social care sectors."
Documents needed with the application form
The application form will include all the information that needs to be submitted. If you are applying to be registered for more than one location, you will need to submit an additional section for each location.
The other documents listed on the application must be available to view when you are interviewed. These include:
- Job description
- Full CV
- Certificates and qualifications evidence
What happens once CQC has accepted my application as complete?
Completed Applications
What the CQC says:
- The application form is reviewed by our registration teams, in liaison with local inspectors and registration assessors.
- We will assess your application and declaration of compliance alongside any other information that we have about you.
- If we need any additional information, we will inform you.
- If we need to clarify any issues, or request additional documentation in some circumstances, we are most likely to telephone you for this.
- In most cases we expect to get all the information we need to make a judgement from the application form and at interview.
Will CQC make a visit or any interviews as part of this process?
If you are not currently registered they will arrange a meeting or interview to assess your fitness and to look at the documents listed in the checklist on your Registered Manager application form. This interview may be face-to-face or conducted over the telephone, or on-site or at one of CQC's regional office.
When the application is a combination of a new Provider and a Registered Manager, that interview may include a review of the Provider's Governance, Processes and Policies.
The inspectors try to be reasonable "We understand that interviews can sometimes be stressful for some people, so we will make every effort to allow the interviewee to be at ease and demonstrate their abilities and experience."
When will my registration be complete?
The CQC will make a decision on your fitness once they have completed their assessment and have made a recommendation to the regional Registration Manager.
They will notify you of the outcome in writing by issuing a written Notice of Proposal and/or Notice of Decision.
Final decision
The steps:
- Notice of Decision: Application accepted
- Notice of Proposal: Application refused (This is a proposal that they will refuse unless you convince them otherwise)
- Representation: You have 28 days to make representation to convince the CQC to change their mind
- Final decision: If still refused, you have the right to appeal to the first-tier tribunal.
Will I get a certificate?
CQC says "Yes, we will issue a certificate to each manager in an electronic format, sent by email. Each registered manager has a unique number assigned to their registration"
