Achieving an 'outstanding' rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which inspects care providers, is the highest level that can be reached. It's what every care provider, be it a hospital, social care setting or GP surgery strives to achieve.
'Outstanding' is the highest of four ratings offered by the CQC which, in descending order, are 'good', 'requires improvement' and 'inadequate'. When inspecting care providers, five areas are inspected, which are 'safe', 'effective', 'caring', 'responsive' and 'well-led'.
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