Scope of registration

Page last updated: 29 January 2025

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The regulated activities

The regulated activities are detailed in Schedule 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

We describe each regulated activity and give some examples of services that are likely to carry on these activities. If the general exceptions and exemptions do not apply to you, you must register for each regulated activity that you provide, unless a specific exemption applies.

You need to be sure that the service you provide is covered by the regulated activities you register for. To do this, check all the activities, read the guidance and use the diagrams to help you decide if you need to register for that activity.

The Quick reference guide also shows which regulated activities you are likely to need to register for:

You may need to register for more than one regulated activity to cover the service(s) you provide. Some providers may need to register for several regulated activities.

How the regulated activities relate to each other

Each regulated activity requires a separate registration.

There is no hierarchy of regulated activities — they are all equally important and you must apply for all that relate to your service.

Sometimes, registration for one regulated activity will remove the need to register for another. For example, a provider will not need to apply for:

  • Nursing care where it is part of another regulated activity (such as Treatment of disease, disorder or injury)
  • Personal care where it is delivered as part of:
    • Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care
    • Accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse
    • Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

However, wherever nursing care or personal care is provided in its own right (not as part of another regulated activity), then a provider may need to register for it as a regulated activity, even if the provider is registered for other regulated activities.

Example: A provider is registered for Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care in respect of a residential care home, but they also provide care to people in their home (called a domiciliary or homecare service). In this case, the provider must also register for the regulated activity of Personal care because the domiciliary or homecare service involves personal care that is separate to the care home service.