# CQC MCP > Care Quality Commission (CQC) MCP connects your agent to official UK health and social care data. You can search for providers by name or postcode, check current ratings (Outstanding, Good, etc.), find all registered locations across England, and track historical changes in compliance status directly from natural conversation. ## Overview - **Category:** government-public-data - **Price:** Free - **Tags:** regulatory-data, health-care, inspection-reports, provider-search, public-sector, compliance-monitoring ## Description This MCP gives you direct access to the Care Quality Commission's regulatory records for health and social care. You can use your agent to research providers, checking everything from current ratings to detailed inspection reports on hospitals, clinics, and care homes across England. Forget manual database lookups or piecing together data from multiple government sites. Your AI client handles the complexity: you ask about a provider, and it pulls real-time details—including their full organizational structure, all associated locations, and any changes in compliance status over time. The power of Vinkius makes connecting this deep regulatory data simple for any MCP-compatible client to use. It’s perfect for analysts who need reliable performance metrics or developers building applications that require verified location intelligence. ## Tools ### get_changes Finds organizations that have had their registration or rating updated within a specific date range. ### get_location Retrieves detailed information, including the current CQC rating, for one specific care location. ### get_provider_locations Lists every specific registered site location tied to an entire organization's profile. ### get_provider Gets all core details and registration status for a single health or social care provider name. ### list_locations Retrieves a full list of all care locations, including hospitals, clinics, and homes in the registry. ### list_providers Provides a complete roster of all registered health and social care organizations. ### search_locations_by_postcode Searches the database for any registered facility location using just its postcode. ### search_providers Finds specific health care providers by entering a partial or full name. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Search for health providers with 'London' in their name. ``` **Response:** ``` I've found several providers in London, including 'London Ambulance Service NHS Trust' and 'London Bridge Hospital'. Which one would you like to investigate? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Check the ratings for care locations in the postcode SW1A 1AA. ``` **Response:** ``` Searching near SW1A 1AA... I found 3 locations. 'St Thomas' Hospital' is currently rated as 'Good'. Would you like the full details for any of these? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get the latest changes in CQC ratings between 2024-01-01 and 2024-01-31. ``` **Response:** ``` Retrieving changes for January 2024... I found 150 updated records. 45 locations had their ratings upgraded, and 12 were downgraded. I can list the details for you. ``` ## Capabilities ### Search and Locate Providers Find specific health care providers by name, or search for any registered facility using a postcode. ### Assess Quality Ratings Retrieve the latest official CQC ratings (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement) for any service location you specify. ### Map Organizational Structure Understand which locations belong to a specific provider by listing all associated sites or mapping them out entirely. ### Track Regulatory Changes Monitor and identify any updates, downgrades, or upgrades in ratings or registration status within defined time periods. ### Retrieve Inspection History Get summaries and links to the detailed inspection findings and compliance reports for a service location. ## Use Cases ### Evaluating local competition for a new hospital chain The analyst needs to know what services are available nearby. They use `search_locations_by_postcode` first, then run `get_location` on the top three results to compare their current ratings and service types. ### Compliance auditing for a multi-site client The compliance officer must track risk. They use `list_providers` to get all clients, then call `get_provider_locations` on each one to verify every physical site is registered and current. ### Market research on industry changes The researcher wants to know what's trending. They use `get_changes`, specifying a date range, to see which types of facilities (hospitals vs. clinics) had the most rating upgrades. ### Building an application with geo-targeting The developer needs location data for a specific area. They use `search_providers` first to find the parent organization, and then call `get_provider_locations` to get all associated points of service. ## Benefits - Stop guessing about quality. Use `get_location` to get the current, official CQC rating for any single site instantly. - Don't track status updates manually. Call `get_changes` to pull a summary of all providers whose ratings or registrations changed between two dates. - Know an organization's footprint. When you find a provider name using `search_providers`, immediately run `get_provider_locations` to map every site they own. - Need local intel? Instead of browsing, use `search_locations_by_postcode` to pull all nearby registered care services by zip code. - Avoid incomplete datasets. Use `list_providers` and `list_locations` to get a complete roster view of the entire national registry. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get accurate, real-time regulatory health care data without touching a single government portal. 1. First, you connect your AI client to this MCP and provide your CQC subscription key. 2. Next, you give a direct query—for example, 'List all care homes near SW1A 1AA' or 'Show me the rating changes for NHS Trust X last quarter'. 3. The agent runs the necessary tools against the official API and returns structured data: current ratings, detailed reports, and location lists. ## Frequently Asked Questions **How do I check ratings for a specific hospital using `get_location`?** You simply call `get_location` and pass the exact location identifier. This tool returns the facility's current CQC rating, including details on what that rating means. **Can I list all providers across England using `list_providers`?** Yes, running `list_providers` gives you a comprehensive roster of all registered health and social care organizations in the registry. This is useful for broad market mapping. **`get_changes` only works if I know the dates.** That's right. The `get_changes` tool requires a start and end date range to function, allowing you to pinpoint exactly when rating or registration changes occurred for specific services. **What is the best way to find my nearest care home? Should I use `search_locations_by_postcode`?** Yes, that's the right approach. Use `search_locations_by_postcode`. It targets facility locations using zip codes and returns a list of registered homes near you. **What key do I need before I can successfully use `list_providers`?** You must acquire a CQC Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key. This unique credential is necessary to authorize your AI client and grants permission to query the official records via the developer portal. **If I use `get_provider_locations`, does it give me every single address linked to that provider?** Yes, this function retrieves all registered physical locations for a specific provider ID. It's the key tool for mapping an organization’s full operational footprint across multiple sites. **When I use `list_locations`, what kind of data do I actually receive?** You get a list containing basic details, like the location type and its unique ID. If you need ratings or detailed reports, you'll have to pass that specific location ID into `get_location`. **After running `search_providers`, how do I confirm if the provider found is still active?** The search results provide names and basic IDs. To verify current status, you must use `get_provider` with that ID. This call pulls the most up-to-date information on registration and compliance. **Can I search for care homes in a specific area?** Yes! Use the `search_locations_by_postcode` tool with a UK postcode. The agent will return registered care services in that vicinity along with their latest ratings. **How do I see the latest rating for a hospital?** First, find the hospital's location ID using `search_providers`, then use the `get_location` tool. The response will include the overall rating and breakdown by service area. **Does this include data for Scotland or Wales?** No. The CQC only regulates health and adult social care services in England. Other regions have different regulatory bodies.