Displaying CQC Ratings Online: What Your Clinic Website Must Show

Who this applies to

The display rules apply to providers registered with the Care Quality Commission in England whose services have been given a rating. That includes many private clinics, independent doctors and diagnostic services. Not every clinic must register with CQC: the regulator's scope guidance explains when activities fall inside or outside registration, including an exception for some treatment provided in a surgery or consulting room by a doctor who works for an already registered provider. That exception does not cover treatment by telephone, video or email, or work within an organisation that also employs other staff^[1].

If you are unsure whether your clinic needs to register, CQC's own scope guidance is the place to check, and your advisers can confirm. This guide assumes you are registered and rated.

Clinics in Wales register with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, which treats premises where private medical services are provided regularly by medical practitioners as independent clinics^[2]. Clinics in Scotland register with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, whose registration covers independent clinics run by doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and dental care professionals^[3]. Their display requirements are separate from CQC's and are not covered here.

What Regulation 20A requires online

Regulation 20A of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 deals with displaying performance assessments. For websites, it says: "There must be shown on every website maintained by or on behalf of any service provider" three things^[4]:

1. The address of CQC's website.
2. A link to the most recent assessment of the provider's performance.
3. The most recent rating, labelled so it is clear which activities or premises it covers.

The regulation does not define "conspicuously" for every case. CQC says that whether something is conspicuous depends on the setting, and that signs and website content must be displayed in a place accessible to people who use the service^[4].

Which pages should carry the rating

CQC's guidance on how providers must display ratings says the rating should appear "on websites where you describe your service"^[5]. It does not say whether that means only the home page or every page. A sensible reading for a clinic website is:

• The home page, because it describes the clinic as a whole.
• Location pages, because each describes the service at a particular site, and ratings can differ by location.
• Main service pages, where a rating applies to that service and the page describes it.

Placing the rating in the site footer, so that it appears on every page, and adding it prominently on the home and location pages, is a cautious way to meet the requirement without relying on a judgement about which pages count as describing the service.

The widget or your own design

CQC offers an online widget for providers to use on their websites. Its guidance says providers can use the widget "although you can use your own materials if you wish"^[5]. A rating typed into your own design has to be changed by hand whenever a new rating is published, so if you go that way, someone needs to own the update. Your own design gives more control over how the rating looks and loads.

If you use your own design, it must still show the three required elements, and you must update it when a new rating is published. Whichever you choose, the rating must not be presented in a way that gives a false or misleading impression. CQC says it may take action against a provider that displays false or misleading ratings information^[5].

If the rating is shown as an image, give it alternative text that states the rating, what it covers and the date of the report, so that people using screen readers get the same information as everyone else.

The 21-day window

CQC's guidance says ratings must be displayed "no later than 21 calendar days after we have published them on our website", and that this applies even if you have asked for a review of the ratings^[5]. On a clinic website, that means someone needs to know when a new report is published and have the access to update the site within three weeks. We set up the rating as a simple field in the content management system so a practice manager can change it in minutes.

When the rating is not one you are proud of

A "requires improvement" or "inadequate" rating must still be displayed. Hiding it, displaying an older rating, or placing it where visitors are unlikely to see it would undermine the purpose of the rule. You can add a short, factual note next to the rating about what has changed since the inspection. If you do, keep it accurate and avoid suggesting the rating is wrong or out of date unless CQC has published a new one.

Groups with several locations

Where a group has several sites, ratings may differ between them. The regulation requires the rating to be labelled so it is clear which activities or premises it covers^[4]. On a group website, each location page should carry its own rating and report link, and group-level pages should make clear which ratings apply where. Our multi-site websites page shows how we structure this.

Enforcement

CQC can prosecute a breach of Regulation 20A, or of part of it, and can do so without first serving a warning notice^[4]. CQC's enforcement guidance on display, last updated 25 November 2025, describes its response as proportionate to the circumstances of each case^[5]. The most avoidable failures are a rating left off a redesigned site, or an old rating left in place after a new inspection.

A display checklist

1. Confirm the current rating and the report link on CQC's website.
2. Show the rating, the report link and the CQC website address on the home page and every location page.
3. Add them to the footer so they appear site-wide.
4. Label each rating with the location or service it applies to.
5. Set a reminder to check for new reports, and update within 21 days.
6. Check that the rating survives any redesign or platform move.