{"id":6091,"date":"2026-04-29T13:17:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodoakshomecare.co.uk\/franchise\/?post_type=newsletters&p=6091"},"modified":"2026-04-29T13:17:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:17:12","slug":"5-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-a-registered-manager","status":"publish","type":"newsletters","link":"https:\/\/www.goodoakshomecare.co.uk\/franchise\/found-this\/5-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-a-registered-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"5 questions to ask before hiring a Registered Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the trickiest parts of starting a homecare business? Hiring a Registered Manager\u2026 when you\u2019ve never been one yourself.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re sat there thinking:
\n\u201cHow do I assess whether this person actually knows what they\u2019re doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Because a confident interviewee \u2260 a competent Registered Manager.<\/p>\n

So instead of relying on CVs and gut feel, here are a few questions that test what really matters: how they think under pressure, and how well they understand compliance in the real world.<\/p>\n

1. \u201cA care visit has been missed, the client is fine but the family is upset. What do you do next?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simple question. Lots going on underneath.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re listening for:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Immediate response (client safety first)<\/li>\n
  • Communication with family<\/li>\n
  • Internal investigation<\/li>\n
  • Documentation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    And crucially\u2026 their decision making re. whether it is a notifiable incident.
    \n<\/b><\/p>\n

    2. \u201cCan you talk me through when you would submit a CQC notification?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    This is where people get found out.<\/p>\n

    Strong candidates won\u2019t just list examples, they\u2019ll show:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Awareness of thresholds<\/li>\n
    • Confidence in grey areas<\/li>\n
    • A bias towards transparency<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Weak candidates either guess\u2026 or avoid the question entirely.
      \n<\/b><\/p>\n

      3. \u201cIf CQC were inspecting in 48 hours, what would you focus on?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

      This is one of my favourites.
      \nIt tells you how they prioritise.
      \nDo they go straight to:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Care plans and risk assessments<\/li>\n
      • MAR charts<\/li>\n
      • Staff files and training<\/li>\n
      • Recent audits and actions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Or do they stay high-level and vague?<\/p>\n

        Good Registered Managers know where the skeletons are most likely to be hiding. Great Registered Managers understand what CQC are most worried about and focusing their inspections on.
        \n<\/b><\/p>\n

        4. \u201cHow do you make sure your service is actually compliant, day to day?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Anyone can say \u201cwe follow the regulations\u201d.<\/p>\n

        You\u2019re looking for systems:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Audits<\/li>\n
        • Spot checks<\/li>\n
        • Supervisions<\/li>\n
        • Feedback loops<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Compliance isn\u2019t a one-off event. It\u2019s what happens on a random Tuesday afternoon.
          \n<\/b><\/p>\n

          5. \u201cTell me about a time something went wrong. What did you do afterwards?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Because things will go wrong.
          \nMissed visits. Medication errors. Complaints.<\/p>\n

          You\u2019re hiring for what happens next:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Do they learn from it?<\/li>\n
          • Do they change the process?<\/li>\n
          • Do they evidence that learning?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            That last bit matters more than people think.
            \n<\/b><\/p>\n

            One final tip.<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Give them a short scenario to respond to in writing.<\/p>\n

            For example:
            \n\u201cA missed visit has occurred and the family has complained. Draft your response and outline your next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

            You\u2019ll quickly see:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • How they communicate<\/li>\n
            • How structured their thinking is<\/li>\n
            • Whether they understand what needs to be recorded and reported<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              It\u2019s often the most revealing part of the whole process.
              \nIf you\u2019re new to the sector, you\u2019re never going to feel 100% confident assessing a Registered Manager.<\/p>\n

              But you can design an interview that makes it very hard to bluff.
              \nAnd in this role, that matters.<\/p>\n

              If you\u2019re thinking this through right now and want a second opinion, just reply. I read every email.<\/p>\n

              Yours,
              \nBen<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","newsletter_category":[],"class_list":["post-6091","newsletters","type-newsletters","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodoakshomecare.co.uk\/franchise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletters\/6091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodoakshomecare.co.uk\/franchise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodoakshomecare.co.uk\/franchise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newsletters"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodoakshomecare.co.uk\/franchise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"newsletter_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodoakshomecare.co.uk\/franchise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter_category?post=6091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}