Provider registration and quality assurance
To ensure high-quality care services for residents, we have created a local provider registration and quality assurance system. This is for non-commissioned providers who wish to register and list their services on the Tower Hamlets Connect directory.
This process allows providers to demonstrate their competency, capabilities, and commitment to key quality and safeguarding standards. Commissioned services are automatically listed, as they have already completed a full procurement process.
Who can register?
Providers eligible for registration include:
-
Accommodation-based services in Tower Hamlets (excluding sheltered services)
-
Day services, home care, voluntary sector support, and supported living services within the Northeast London area, covering: Newham, Havering, Redbridge, City of London, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham.
There are two levels of provider registration:
Level 1 – for micro-providers and services not requiring CQC regulation (excluding day services). Required documents include:
-
Service user handbook
-
Health and safety compliance
-
Insurance certificates
-
DBS checks, safeguarding policies, complaints procedures.
Level 2 – for regulated providers (including day services). In addition to Level 1 requirements, providers must submit:
-
Additional safeguarding and quality assurance measure
-
Case studies demonstrating service delivery
-
Risk management policies and insurance evidence.
A site visit by a commissioner is required to:
For home care providers, this will usually be a face-to-face meeting with a commissioner.
Mandatory requirements
To be listed on the Tower Hamlets Connect directory, providers must:
-
Renew their application every three years
-
Submit annual updates for insurance documents
-
Service user data (to assist in provider failure planning)
-
Be a London Living Wage employer (applications from non-compliant providers will not be accepted)
-
Indicate if they have signed up for the Ethical Care Charter (encouraged but not mandatory).
Transition period for existing providers
If the council is currently using non-registered providers, those providers will be invited to register and will have six weeks to apply. If the application is not completed within this period, service users may be transferred to registered providers or be offered a direct payment to continue accessing support independently.
Quality monitoring and suspension
To ensure high-quality services, a provider can be suspended from the directory if:
-
Their CQC rating falls to "Inadequate" or "Requires Improvement" (only "Good" or "Outstanding" providers are accepted).
-
They are escalated to the Pre-Provider Concerns Panel or at risk of provider failure.
-
A council director confirms suspension due to concerns about service quality.
Commissioners will work with providers to support their improvement plans and reinstatement when issues are resolved.
Looking ahead
By May 2025, all current providers on the directory must reapply under the new registration system. Over the next 12 months, we aim for our brokerage team and direct payment users to work with CQC-rated "Good" or "Outstanding" providers.
We are also developing a resource hub where providers can access essential council documents, policies, and compliance guidelines. For more details or to begin the registration process, please visit the Tower Hamlets Connect website.