Recurring concern
Insufficient care-home staffing capacity for residents’ required care
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Request correctionFirst reported 6 Nov 2013•Latest report 5 Dec 2025
What this concern includes
Includes failures of care-home staffing capacity, deployment or cover that leave residents without required care or assistance, including insufficient staff for two-carer care, assisted mobilisation, feeding, medication distribution, personal care and other essential resident needs.
Not included
- Excludes nursing staffing shortages outside care-home resident care.
- Excludes generic management, training, competence or documentation deficiencies unless they directly result in insufficient care-home staffing capacity.
- Excludes failures limited to one resident’s care plan or one isolated staff omission where inadequate staffing capacity is not identified.
- Excludes staffing deficiencies in hospitals, prisons, transport services or other non-care-home settings.
- Reports
- 19
- Individual concerns
- 20
- Date range
- 2013–2025
- Stated actions
- 12
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to ensure tracheostomy-trained nursing cover for residents requiring tracheostomy support
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient staffing capacity for the number of residents
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Use the dependency tool to review resident needs and calculate staffing hours, maintaining staffing above required levels where possible.
Stated by Norfolk Care Homes
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
Internal auditing evidence assures that staff allocation effectively meets individual needs and supports the CQC report’s accuracy.
Stated by Norfolk Care Homes
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient staffing capacity to meet competing resident care and monitoring needs
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Update and implement policies covering staffing hours, slips, trips and falls, observations, and general risk assessments.
Stated by PINE VIEW CARE HOMES LTD -
Action
Continuously assess residents’ dependency and care needs to determine required staffing hours and mitigate risks.
Stated by PINE VIEW CARE HOMES LTD -
Action
Employ a third daytime staff member to maintain lounge supervision and assist residents across the home.
Stated by PINE VIEW CARE HOMES LTD
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
Existing staffing, monitoring, policies, training and environmental controls are considered sufficient to keep residents safe and mitigate falling risks.
Stated by PINE VIEW CARE HOMES LTD
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient staffing levels for resident care and supervision
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Review staffing numbers against colleague feedback, resident support plans and resident needs.
Stated by Priory Group
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
Staffing levels and allocation are considered sufficient to keep residents safe, supported by contingency staffing and on-call management arrangements.
Stated by Priory Group
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Concerns raised1
Inadequate staffing levels in residential homes receiving hospital patients
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
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Action
Develop accommodation-with-care-and-support specifications, including dementia provision.
Stated by Integrated Care Board (ICB -
Action
Develop additional primary-care resources to create more time for care-home support.
Stated by Integrated Care Board (ICB -
Action
Adopt national recruitment and retention programmes and develop new roles and flexible working arrangements to support safer staffing.
Stated by Integrated Care Board (ICB
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Action
Make funding available to support adult social care, hospital discharge and timely transfer into community care.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient availability of mental health nurses in care homes and nursing homes
This report raised 9 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Inadequate staffing capacity for vulnerable-resident care and alarm response
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
The staff member’s reported pressure was attributed to wanting to attend scheduled activities, rather than insufficient staffing levels.
Stated by Hillbury & Gwern Alyn
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient staffing capacity for continuous observation of residents at risk of falls during self-isolation
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
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Position
The provider and registered manager, not CQC, are responsible for deciding how to address identified care risks and implement improvements.
Stated by Care Quality Commission
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Position
Existing individualised care plans and additional welfare checks were considered sufficient to mitigate Mrs Jones’s fall risk while unwell.
Stated by Care Quality Commission
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Concerns raised1
Failure to deploy enough suitably qualified, competent and experienced staff
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
Existing staffing levels were considered sufficient and suitably qualified to meet residents’ needs on the relevant dates.
Stated by Holdingham Grange
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Concerns raised1
Absence of another qualified nurse when an agency nurse is on duty
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Data last updated 7 September 2026