CQC Environmental Sustainability: Why it Matters More Than Ever for Care Homes and Home Care Providers in 2026

Environmental sustainability is no longer a “nice to have” for care providers — it’s becoming a core part of delivering safe, high quality care. With rising energy costs, increasing climate risks, and new expectations from regulators, care homes and home care providers are under growing pressure to take practical steps that protect people, reduce costs and strengthen resilience.

To support the sector, I’ve created two free, practical resources:

• Care Home Sustainability Starter Guide

• Home Care Providers’ Sustainability Starter Guide

  
  

Both guides are designed to help busy care teams make meaningful progress without overwhelm — focusing on simple, achievable actions that improve wellbeing, reduce costs and prepare for future regulatory expectations.

The CQC’s Environmental Sustainability Quality Statement

The Care Quality Commission has introduced a new Environmental Sustainability – Sustainable Development quality statement within the Well Led domain of the Single Assessment Framework. The statement emphasises that providers should:

• understand and reduce the environmental impact of their activities

• empower staff to deliver low carbon, high quality care

• take active steps to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste

• prepare for climate risks such as heatwaves and extreme weather.

  
  

This is clearly set out in the CQC’s published guidance: Environmental sustainability – sustainable development (CQC) .

Although the CQC is not yet formally assessing this quality statement in care homes and home care services, they have confirmed they will develop and co-produce their approach to assessing environmental sustainability across more service types.

This means providers who start preparing now will be in a far stronger position when expectations tighten.

A helpful overview from a former CQC inspector also highlights how environmental sustainability links to Regulation 17: Good Governance, climate adaptation, and safe environments.

Why Sustainability Matters for Care Homes

Care homes face unique challenges:

• maintaining safe temperatures for residents

• managing energy intensive buildings

• reducing waste and improving recycling

• preparing for heatwaves, storms and power cuts

• supporting staff awareness and engagement.

The Care Home Sustainability Starter Guide focuses on practical, low cost actions that improve comfort, safety and resilience — from energy efficiency and hydration to ventilation, procurement and extreme weather planning.

It aligns with the CQC’s emphasis on:

• carbon reduction

• estates and facilities management

• climate adaptation

• efficient service delivery

• staff awareness and education.

Why Sustainability Matters for Home Care Providers

Home care providers face a different set of pressures:

• rising travel costs

• lone working in varied home environments

• supporting clients in cold, damp or overheating homes

• ensuring hydration and ventilation

• preparing for extreme weather

• managing office based energy use.

The Home Care Providers’ Sustainability Starter Guide focuses on:

• travel efficiency

• safe temperatures in client homes

• hydration and wellbeing

• digital tools

• waste reduction

• climate risk planning

• staff engagement.

  
  

It also reflects the CQC’s growing interest in how providers adapt to climate change and reduce environmental impact across travel, supply chains and safe environments.

The Energy Price Uncertainty in 2026

With geopolitical tensions escalating, including the recent USA-Israel war with Iran, there is understandable concern about how global instability may affect UK energy prices this year.

While we won’t know the full impact until later in the spring, it is reasonable to expect:

• potential volatility in wholesale energy prices

• increased fuel costs, already visible at the pump

• higher travel costs for home care providers with company vehicles

• pressure on care home heating budgets.

  
  

Care providers are already feeling the effects of rising fuel prices, and any further increases will hit the sector hard.

This makes sustainability not just a regulatory expectation — but a financial resilience strategy.

Small changes now can protect budgets later.

Why I Created These Guides

Care providers are already doing extraordinary work under immense pressure. Sustainability shouldn’t feel like another burden — it should feel like support.

These guides are designed to:

• reduce overwhelm

• give you clear, achievable steps

• help you prepare for future CQC expectations

• improve safety and comfort for residents and clients

• reduce costs in a time of financial uncertainty

• strengthen resilience to climate risks

They are intentionally simple, practical and people centred.

Download the Guides

Both guides are free to download and ready to use. They can be accessed here.

Final Thoughts

Sustainability is becoming a core part of delivering safe, high quality care, and the sooner providers begin taking small steps, the easier it will be to meet future expectations.

If you’d like help applying the guidance to your organisation, I offer a Sustainability Power Hour — a focused session where we look at your specific challenges and identify clear, manageable next steps.

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About the Author

Sophie Wragg is a sustainability consultant, ISO 14001 Lead Auditor, and author of Sustainable Business. She has supported more than 200 SMEs through the East Midlands Chamber and helped secure over £500k in decarbonisation funding. Sophie spoke at the Big Zero Show 2024 and was named Best New Business at the Mansfield & Ashfield Business Network Awards 2025. She brings clarity, calm, and practical guidance to organisations who want to make meaningful, achievable progress.