CQC inspections are evolving, and there is a lot of discussion about what this really means for services. In this video, I step back from the noise to explain what is actually changing, what is staying the same, and where Registered Managers should focus to feel more confident and prepared for inspection.

A question for Registered Managers.

If you stepped away from your service for a week, would your team feel confident continuing without you?

Many managers in health and social care are deeply supportive of their teams. That compassion is one of the sector’s greatest strengths.

At times, however, that instinct to support can slowly turn into rescuing or over protecting staff, which can unintentionally create pressure for the manager and dependency within the team.

With Mother’s Day approaching this weekend, I have been reflecting on the difference between leading a team and mothering it.

You’ve done a lot over these five weeks:

1. Reflected on your 2025 story.
2. Looked honestly at your staffing and rota.
3. Calmed your relationship with compliance.
4. Brought residents’ lived experience back into focus.
5. Tuned up the operational engine behind the scenes of a successful service

Now it’s time to turn all of that into a clear 2026 roadmap.

The aim is simple: when you walk into January, you already know what you’re aiming for, why it matters, and how you’ll track progress. You’ll still have surprises – this is care, after all – but you won’t be drifting.

Make 2026 run smoother behind the scenes

Behind every calm, resident-focused service there is usually a slightly boring truth: decent systems. When rotas, suppliers, communication and basic processes are clunky, everything feels harder – for you, for your team, and for residents.

This week is about sharpening the “engine room” of your service so that 2026 feels smoother, not more chaotic. You don’t need to redesign everything. You just need to make a few smart adjustments that increase flow and reduce friction.

Week 4 is all about putting residents at the centre of your 2026 plan

You’ve reflected, looked at your workforce and taken a calmer look at compliance. Now it’s time to bring everything back to the heart of your service: the people you care for and their daily lived experience.

In busy services, it’s easy for days to turn into task lists. This week is about slowing down just enough to ask: What does life actually feel like here? And how can we make 2026 feel more like “home”, not just “service”?

Compliance can feel like a constant pressure: inspections, audits, paperwork, action plans that never quite get finished. It’s easy for it to become something we dread, rather than a structure that supports safe, high-quality care.

This week is about taking some of that heat out of compliance. We want to step into 2026 with a realistic understanding of where you stand, a short list of high-impact actions, and a few simple routines that keep you inspection-ready without burning everyone out.

You are not trying to fix everything in a week. You are creating a calmer, more confident relationship with compliance.

Last week you took a step back and reflected on your 2025 story. You looked at data, listened to staff, brought in resident and family voices, and chose 2–3 focus areas for 2026.

This week we’re moving to the foundation of everything: your team and your rota.

You can have the best plans in the world, but if your staffing is unstable, your rota is fragile and your team is exhausted, those plans will stay on paper. The aim is not a magically “perfect” rota, it’s a people plan that is visible, stable and resilient enough to carry you through the realities of 2026.

That’s where your VSR Rota mindset becomes central to your HR strategy:

There’s something powerful about a new year – but I’m a big believer that the real fresh start happens before the calendar flips. If you wait until half way through January to start thinking about 2026, you’ll probably be doing it when you’re already tired, short-staffed and reacting to day-to-day fires.

This series is about getting ahead of that.

Over the next six weeks, I’m walking you through a simple, structured “Head Start to a Fixed 2026” so that by the time January arrives, you’re not staring at a blank page. You’ll already know what worked in 2025, where the pressure points are, and what you want to focus on in the year ahead.

This first Week is all about Reflect, Reset & Move with Momentum.

You can’t plan forward intelligently if you haven’t looked back clearly. This isn’t about beating yourself up for what didn’t get done. It’s about taking an honest, balanced view of 2025 so you can carry the learning – not the baggage – into 2026.