What to expect when we inspect

Last updated: 8 May 2026

When we visit a care service, the goal is simple: to check that people are getting safe, high‑quality care that meets Scotland’s national standards. We do this in a way that’s open, fair, and focused on the real experiences of the people who rely on care.

Our inspections happen unannounced and without notice. Unannounced inspections give our inspectors a true picture of everyday life in the service.

We gather information from several different sources so they can build a clear and balanced view of how well a service is performing. This includes:

  • Talking to people who use the service and, where relevant, family members, carers and people who are important to the person being cared for. We want to hear directly about people’s experiences.

  • Speaking with staff and managers to understand how care is planned, delivered, and overseen.

  • Observing care in action - how staff interact with people, what activities are happening, and whether people’s needs are being met.

  • Checking key records and documentation, such as care plans, risk assessments, training records and how people using the service are involved in their care.

  • Listening to other professionals, like social workers or health staff, if they’re involved.

Every inspection is based on the quality frameworks for that particular service type. These frameworks outline what good care looks like and what we should expect to see in practice, for example, strong leadership, good staff practice, well‑planned support, and a focus on people’s wellbeing.

Our inspectors will look at a selection of key questions and quality indicators within the relevant quality framework. Which, and how many key questions and quality indicators, will depend on:

  • the type of inspection

  • the quality of the service

  • the intelligence we hold about the service

  • risk factors that we may identify.

We will use the quality illustrations, which are based on the Health and Social Care Standards, in our professional evaluations about the care and support we see.

For each key question we inspect, we give an overall evaluation using our six‑point scale, which ranges from unsatisfactory (1) to excellent (6).

This grade is based on the quality indicators we look at under each key question:

  • If there’s only one quality indicator, its grade becomes the overall evaluation for that question.

  • If there are multiple indicators, the overall evaluation will be the lower of the grades for those indicators.

This helps make sure our evaluations are fair, consistent, and reflect all of the evidence we gather.

Before we finish the inspection, we may share some initial feedback with the service about what’s going well and what needs to improve.

We then pull all our evidence into an inspection report, which is published online for the public to read.