CQC Mandatory Training for Care Workers: The Full Checklist

"What training do my staff actually have to have?" is probably the question we are asked most by registered managers – usually followed by "and how often does it need refreshing?" The honest answer is that very little training is named in law; instead, legislation requires staff to be competent and safe, regulators expect providers to evidence that, and the sector has settled on a well-recognised core of subjects that inspectors look for. This checklist sets out that core, the typical refresher cycles, and the role-specific extras.

Where the requirement actually comes from

The Health and Social Care Act regulations require staff to receive "appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal" to do their jobs – the CQC inspects against this. Underneath that sit specific laws that make certain subjects unavoidable: health and safety law (including moving and handling and fire safety), food hygiene law where staff handle food, the Care Act's safeguarding duties, and – since the Health and Care Act 2022 – learning disability and autism training appropriate to role, met through the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training. The frequencies below are the sector's accepted practice rather than fixed statutory intervals, so always follow your own policies and commissioners' contracts where they are stricter.

The core checklist

Role-specific additions

• New starters – the Care Certificate as structured induction, ideally within 12 weeks.
• Services supporting people who may become distressed – PMVA or equivalent de-escalation and safe intervention training (we run PMVA training in Liverpool and London).
• Dementia services – dementia awareness beyond the induction level.
• Catheter, PEG, diabetes or epilepsy care – clinical task training with competency sign-off.
• First aiders – a designated number of staff with fuller emergency first aid, beyond basic life support.

The training matrix: your single most useful document

Inspectors rarely ask "do you do training?" – they ask to see the matrix. A good one is a single grid: staff down the side, subjects across the top, dates in the cells, colour-coded for in-date, due soon and overdue. It shows compliance at a glance, drives your booking calendar, and turns inspection questions into thirty-second answers. Keep certificates filed behind it and record who delivered each course and how (webinar, face-to-face, e-learning) – our guide to choosing delivery modes covers which subjects genuinely need a room.

Common gaps we see

Three patterns come up repeatedly: refreshers slipping for night staff and part-timers because they are hard to rota; practical subjects "refreshed" by e-learning alone, which does not stand up for moving and handling or life support; and new mandatory subjects – most recently the Oliver McGowan training – bolted on late because no one owned the matrix. A named training lead, even in a small service, prevents all three.

Mandatory training FAQs

What mandatory training does the CQC require for care workers?

The CQC does not publish a fixed list, but inspects whether staff have appropriate training to be safe and competent. The recognised core for care workers is: moving and handling, basic life support, fire safety, safeguarding adults, infection prevention and control, health and safety, food hygiene where food is handled, medication awareness, the Mental Capacity Act and DoLS, equality and diversity, and the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on learning disability and autism.

How often does mandatory training need to be refreshed?

Frequencies are accepted sector practice rather than fixed law. Practical subjects such as moving and handling, basic life support, fire safety and infection control are typically refreshed every year; safeguarding, health and safety, Mental Capacity Act and equality and diversity every one to three years depending on level; food hygiene every three years; and the Oliver McGowan training as national guidance sets out.

Is the Care Certificate part of mandatory training?

The Care Certificate is the recognised structured induction for new care workers and is expected by the CQC for new starters, ideally completed within 12 weeks of starting. It covers many of the mandatory subjects at induction level, but practical subjects still need hands-on refreshers afterwards.

Can mandatory training be done online?

Knowledge-based subjects such as safeguarding, the Mental Capacity Act, equality and diversity and infection control can be delivered online or by live webinar. Practical subjects such as moving and handling and basic life support need a hands-on session so that competence can be assessed; e-learning alone does not stand up at inspection for those.