When the Care Quality Commission looks at a care home, fire and water are not separate hobbies. They sit under the same two questions: is the service Safe, and are the premises suitable and Well-led? A fire risk assessment for care homes is the document that shows you have identified who cannot get out unaided and what you will do about it. A current legionella risk assessment is the matching piece for the water system. Both go in with the registration pack. Both stay live after you open. CQC wants the current assessments — and the actions done
Care homes must submit a current fire risk assessment and a current legionella risk assessment with the registration application, and complete the actions those reports identify before you apply. Use the Fire Safety Scorecard as a first pass, then book a fire risk assessment through our nationwide network of assessors.

Why CQC looks at fire and water together

CQC’s registration guidance is explicit. Care homes are one of the service types that must send both documents with the application. Inspectors assess them under Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) and Regulation 15: Premises and equipment, with the paperwork and oversight sitting under Regulation 17 (Good governance).Regulation 15 is the premises rule: clean, secure, suitable for purpose, properly used, properly maintained, and appropriately located. Providers keep legal responsibility even when they contract the work out. Fire compartmentation, assisted evacuation, stored medical gases, showers, TMVs and little-used taps are all premises issues — which is why the two assessments are read together.There is no fire certificate to pin on the wall. Fire certificates were abolished when the Fire Safety Order came into force in 2006. What CQC wants is a current assessment and evidence that the action plan has been closed out.

What the fire risk assessment must cover

Use the GOV.UK fire safety risk assessment guide for residential care premises, published under Article 50 of the Fire Safety Order. It is for premises where staff are in attendance and many, most or all residents would need carer assistance to reach a place of safety — residential and nursing homes. Do not use the sleeping accommodation guide, which is aimed at hotels, hostels and similar buildings where people can generally self-evacuate.CQC’s own list of what a fire risk assessment for care homes should cover is practical:
  • identification of fire hazards, including medical gas storage
  • people at risk
  • plans to support people who use the service who need help to evacuate, including personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs)
  • policies for smoking on the premises
  • evaluation of risks and existing fire safety measures
  • fire alarm systems, extinguishers and other firefighting equipment
  • fire exits and evacuation routes
  • staff training
  • fire drills for staff, people who use the service, and visitors
  • an action plan to address any concerns identified
PEEPs are not a nice-to-have. If a resident needs support to evacuate, the FRA should show how that happens — who assists, by which route, with what equipment, and how night staffing covers it. A generic “staff will assist” line does not survive an inspection.If the assessor has written an action plan, complete those actions before you apply to register. After registration, unfinished actions are a Safe and Well-led finding waiting to happen. Ignoring an action plan is how a report becomes an enforcement problem — we have covered what happens if you fail a fire risk assessment separately. 🔥 Care home FRA: For a residential or nursing home, book a fire risk assessment through our nationwide network, or request a quote.

What the legionella risk assessment must cover

CQC says a legionella risk assessment is a legal requirement. Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a serious form of pneumonia particularly dangerous for elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. They assess it under Regulation 12 and Regulation 15. HSE’s legionella pages sit behind that: employers and those in control of premises must assess and manage sources of risk. ACoP L8 is the practical code.Even if you do not manage or own the premises, you are still responsible for legionella control. Before you apply, assign someone to be responsible for legionella control at the service, and complete any actions the assessment identifies.What CQC wants to see in a legionella risk assessment care home file:
  • Water system identification. Mapping of hot and cold water systems, showers, taps, sinks, tanks, cylinders, thermostatic mixing valves, and appliances that use water.
  • Risk factors. Areas of stagnant water or low usage; inadequate water temperatures; corroded or scaled pipes; dead legs or redundant pipework.
  • Inspection and testing. Temperature checks at outlets, sampling if required, visual inspection of tanks and pipework, and showerhead and tap descaling.
  • Control measures. Flushing of infrequently used outlets, temperature control, cleaning and disinfection of showerheads and taps, tank and pipework maintenance, and approved fittings.
  • Records. The report, maintenance logs, temperature monitoring, cleaning schedules, and action plans for remedial work.
  • Review. CQC expects an annual review, or sooner if the water system changes, new residents move in, building alterations occur, or a case of Legionnaires’ disease is suspected.
  • Staff training. Staff trained to recognise risks, able to carry out basic checks, and know how to report issues promptly.
Void rooms, unused en-suites and little-used visitor WCs are the usual weak points. TMVs protect residents from scalding; they also create a mixed-water zone that needs servicing. Dead legs belong on the drawing, not left in a loft void. A filed assessment without flushing records and temperature logs is not control.Book a legionella risk assessment through our nationwide network if the last report is stale, or if the action plan was never closed out.

Landlord versus registered provider

If you are a tenant, the Fire Safety Order still places fire safety duties on you for your employees, even if someone else — a landlord, for example — manages the building. The same split applies to water: CQC is plain that even if you do not manage or own the premises, you remain responsible for legionella control.Write the split down. The landlord may own the incoming main, tanks and calorifiers. The registered provider still employs the staff, houses the residents, and holds the CQC registration. Appointing a contractor, or pointing at the freeholder, does not move that duty. Name the person responsible for fire and the person responsible for legionella, and give both the authority to get work done. Do not wait for the landlord’s pack
A managing agent’s FRA for the common parts is not a care-home fire risk assessment. A water hygiene contract that never reaches the en-suite showers is not legionella control. CQC will still look at you.

Before you register, and staying inspection-ready

Registration is the first test, not the last. CQC must refuse registration if they are not satisfied you can and will continue to comply with Regulation 15. After you open, inspectors look for a current FRA, current PEEPs that match the people actually in the home, a current legionella assessment, named responsible people, completed actions, and records that show the controls still run.Review the fire risk assessment when the building, the occupancy or the evacuation strategy changes — a new wing, a change from residential to nursing, a resident who now needs a ski pad. Review legionella at least annually, and sooner if the water system changes, new residents move in, the building is altered, or Legionnaires’ disease is suspected.Ongoing readiness for care homes and assisted living is a folder you can hand over: assessments, closed-out actions, training, drills, flushing and temperature logs — not a certificate on the wall. Keep both documents live, not just filed
If the pack is stale, book fire and legionella assessments through our nationwide network ahead of registration or inspection.

How to get the pack inspection-ready

1

Close out the action plans before you apply

CQC will not treat an open action plan as a current, complete assessment. Fix the findings, then file the reports with the registration pack.2

Keep PEEPs and water records live

Match PEEPs to the people in the home today. Flush little-used outlets, log temperatures, service TMVs, and train staff to report problems.3

Review when people, plant or the building change

Do not wait for an inspection letter. A new wing, a change of occupancy, plumbing work or a suspected Legionnaires’ case is the moment to review.

Need Fire and Legionella Assessments for a Care Home?

Request a quote through our nationwide network via the quote form.

Guidance only — not legal advice. Requirements depend on the premises and enforcing authority. Arrange a formal on-site assessment where needed.