Strategic direction
Is there a clear vision and strategy to support the current and future needs of people and promote a positive culture?
In brief
Strategic direction is key line of enquiry 1 under the Well-led key question in the Care Quality Commission (CQC) draft adult social care assessment framework (v9, 19 March 2026), currently published for consultation. It covers strategy and vision, values and culture, service sustainability, staff feedback. CQC describes performance against it at four rating levels: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Each statement and rating characteristic quoted here is reproduced verbatim from CQC's draft; plain-English summaries are HLTH's own.
- Key question
- Well-led
- Line of enquiry
- KLOE 1 of 6 under Well-led
- Rating levels
- Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate
- Source
- Adult social care assessment framework, v9 (19 March 2026)
- Status
- Draft, published by CQC for consultation
- Reference
- pp. 51–53 of the CQC draft
Scope and topic areas
What this line of enquiry covers
Scope of this key line of enquiry and topic areas include:
- Strategy and vision
- Values and culture
- Service sustainability
- Staff feedback
Rating characteristics
How CQC describes each rating
The four characteristic sets for this KLOE, best to worst. Every point is CQC's wording, reproduced exactly.
Outstanding
In plain terms: Care is exceptional and consistently better than the Good standard.
- The vision, strategy and supporting objectives are clearly articulated. They place people and good outcomes at the forefront. The strategic direction is consistently understood and fully embedded across the service.
- The service has high standards in relation to transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people; the strategy supports the service to deliver against these standards.
- A genuinely person-centred approach is central to the service and is reflected in everyday practice and decision-making.
- Staff are proud of the service as a place to work and speak highly of its culture, vision and values.
- Strategic plans are ambitious, challenging and innovative as well as being realistic and achievable.
- Feedback from staff and people using the service is encouraged and is consistently taken into account. Feedback is used to track outcomes against the strategy, to identify and shape strategic priorities and drive systemic improvements in care delivery.
- There is strong collaboration, team-working and a shared focus on improving the quality and sustainability of care and people’s experiences.
Good
In plain terms: The service meets the expected standard.
- The values of the service are clear, understood and supported by staff. They are demonstrated through the behaviour of leaders and in practices within the service. They include key principles such as openness, involvement, respect, human rights, inclusion, diversity and equality.
- Leaders promote a shared vision and strategy that staff and people understand and support. The service’s vision and strategy demonstrate an understanding of local and national issues and the needs of people using the service. People’s wellbeing is central to the vision.
- The vision, values, and strategy have been developed through structured planning and co-production with people who use the service, staff and partners.
- There is a person-centred culture that is responsive to the needs and preferences of people who use the service and staff.
- Leaders learn from staff who work directly with people, to build trust and mutual understanding. Feedback is valued and used to track progress, shape priorities and drive improvements.
- Staff at all levels have a well-developed understanding of equality, diversity, and human rights. Staff prioritise safe, high-quality, compassionate care.
- The strategy supports the stability and operational sustainability of the service.
Requires improvement
In plain terms: The service is not yet Good and has areas that must improve.
- The vision and values of the service are not clearly defined or not widely understood. Where they are in place, they are not well developed or do not incorporate key principles such as openness, involvement, respect and equality.
- The service does not have a clear, shared purpose. Staff are not consistently aligned with the values of the service, or do not understand how they are relevant to their role or the care they provide.
- Leaders do not consistently model or reinforce the values of the service.
- The culture is not consistently person-centred. People and staff may feel that their individual needs or preferences are not fully understood or respected.
- Leadership behaviours may appear task-driven rather than people focused with limited regard for people’s wellbeing, motivations, or personal circumstances.
- Feedback from staff and people who use the service is not collected, reviewed, or acted upon consistently. Insights are not routinely used to track progress, shape strategic priorities, or drive improvements in care delivery.
- Not all staff have sufficient understanding of equality, diversity and human rights and how this is relevant to the care they deliver.
- The strategy does not consistently support the long-term stability or operational sustainability of the service, resulting in unclear priorities or a reactive rather than proactive approach.
Inadequate
In plain terms: Performance is well below the expected standard; enforcement may follow.
- There is no clear vision, values or strategy or these are not embedded.
- There is no shared purpose or direction. Leaders do not promote or model a shared purpose; staff do not understand expectations or how the service’s purpose is relevant to their role.
- Culture is poor, lacking openness, inclusivity and respect. People’s needs are not valued or prioritised. Leaders operate and make decisions in isolation, excluding other relevant stakeholders.
- Leaders are task-focused, with no regard for people’s wellbeing, motivations, or personal circumstances.
- There is a lack of understanding of key principles including equality, diversity and human rights. These principles are not embedded in the culture of the service and in delivering care. There is evidence of bullying or discrimination.
- The strategy does not support the stability and operational sustainability of the service.
Reading these against your own evidence is where most providers get stuck. We can walk it through with you.