About This Guide
If you have received a request for information as part of a CQC inspection or a Coroner's Court hearing, this guide is designed to help you respond quickly, accurately, and with confidence.
It sets out exactly how to export all relevant data for a specific resident from mCare into a single, organised Excel workbook; one tab for each type of record. The process is the same whether you are responding to CQC or to a coroner. The data you need is the same in both situations, and mCare holds it all.
You do not need to be technical to follow this guide. Work through it step by step and you will have everything you need.
What CQC and Coroners Are Looking For
CQC Inspections
When CQC request information about a specific resident; whether as part of a planned inspection or a responsive review following a concern, they are looking for evidence that care was safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led. In practice, this means being able to demonstrate:
• That risks were identified, assessed, and actively managed
• That care was planned, delivered consistently, and recorded accurately
• That any concerns or incidents were identified and acted upon promptly
• That the resident's needs, preferences, and wishes were understood and respected
The data held in mCare provides direct, timestamped evidence across all of these areas. Inspectors are likely to ask to see care notes, care plans, risk assessments, and records of any alerts or incidents.
Having these ready; organised, complete, and easy to navigate, demonstrates exactly the kind of governance CQC expect to see.
Coroner's Court
If a death has been referred to the coroner and an inquest is opened, the coroner may request clinical records relating to the care a resident received. The purpose is to establish the facts, not to attribute blame, and your records are a key part of that process.
The coroner will want to see:
• A clear and complete record of the care delivered to the resident over the relevant period
• Evidence that risks were known, documented, and managed appropriately
• Records of any incidents, alerts, or changes in condition, and how they were responded to
• That care planning reflected the resident's needs at the time Accurate, complete records, exported directly from your care management system, are the most credible form of evidence you can provide.
mCare records are timestamped and unedited, which means the data you export is a reliable and verifiable account of what was recorded at the time it happened.
� � Data & Integrity: Data exported from mCare is a direct read from the system. Each record carries a timestamp showing exactly when it was created and by whom. This data has not been edited or processed; it reflects what your team recorded in real time. This is important: it means the records you provide are credible, verifiable, and consistent with what is held on the system. Do not alter, reformat, or delete any data from the exported workbook before submitting it. If you have any doubt about what to include or exclude, seek advice from your organisation's legal team or the relevant regulatory body before proceeding.
What You Will Build
Following this guide, you will produce a single Excel workbook containing the following tabs. Together they provide a complete picture of the resident's care - in this example, a resident called Margaret.
Tab 1 - Care Notes |
What you will see Care notes are the primary day-to-day record of care delivery. They demonstrate that care was being provided, documented, and that staff were observing and responding to Margaret's condition and needs. |
Tab 2 - Care Alerts |
What you will see Alerts demonstrate that your systems were actively identifying and flagging concerns. How alerts were responded to is as important as whether they occurred. This tab shows both. |
Tab 3 - Risk Assessments |
What you will see |
Tab 4 - Risk Assessment History |
What you will see |
Tab 5 - Care Plan |
What you will see |
Tab 6 - Fluid & Nutrition Notes |
What you will see Fluid intake records and nutrition-related care notes over the relevant date range. Why it matters in an investigation Hydration and nutrition are frequently scrutinised in both CQC inspections and inquests, particularly where a decline in health is a factor. A complete fluid and nutrition record demonstrates active monitoring and appropriate responses. |
Tab 7 - Care Interactions |
What you will see A summary of planned versus actual care delivered to Margaret, broken down by care type and staff role. Why it matters in an investigation This tab provides direct evidence of whether the care that was planned was actually delivered, and by appropriately qualified staff. Gaps between planned and actual care are significant in any investigation. |
Before You Start
Take a moment before you begin to make sure you have the following ready.
Working through this in order will save time and reduce the risk of missing anything.
• Your mCare Monitor username and password
o It can also be useful to have your API key to hand. This is found by hovering over your name in the top right of mCare and selecting “My API Key”
• Microsoft Excel open on your computer - any version from 2016 onwards
• The resident's name as it appears in mCare, so you can filter reports correctly
• A clear date range - for most investigations this will be the period leading up to and including the relevant incident or admission. If you are unsure, take a broader range and narrow it later
• Clarity on whether you are exporting for a specific incident or for a general period - this affects your date range
⚠ Important: Once you have exported your data, save the workbook immediately and store it securely. Do not work from the live export - treat it as a fixed record from this point forward. If you need to update the data later, create a new export and label it clearly with the date and time it was produced.
Setting Up Your Workbook
Create your workbook first. Doing this before you start pulling data means you can move efficiently from one report to the next without losing your place.
1 Open Excel and create a new blank workbook Click File > New > Blank Workbook.
2 Rename the first tab as 'Care Notes' Right-click the Sheet1 tab at the bottom of the screen, click Rename, type Care Notes and press Enter.
3 Add the remaining six tabs Click the + button next to the tab to add each new sheet. Create tabs named: Care Alerts, Risk Assessments, Risk Assessment History, Care Plan, Fluid & Nutrition, Care Interactions.
4 Save the workbook immediately with a clear, dated name For example: Margaret_Smith_[Investigation type]_Export_[Date]_[Time].xlsx - for example: Margaret_Smith_CQC_Export_25April2026_0930.xlsx. Store it in a secure location accessible only to authorised staff.
� � Tip: Including the date and time in the file name is important in an investigation context. It establishes exactly when the data was extracted, which may be relevant if questions arise later about the completeness or currency of the records.
How to Pull Each Report
The steps below are the same for every tab. Follow them once for each report, returning to the tab-specific instructions in the next section to know which report to open and which filters to apply.
THE PROCESS - SAME FOR EVERY TAB
1 | Go to mCare in your browser and make sure you are logged in Keep this open alongside Excel throughout. |
2 | Open the correct report |
3 | Set your filters carefully |
4 | Click Refresh |
5 | Click the API button |
6 | Switch to Excel and click the correct tab |
7 | Go to Data > From Web |
8 | Paste your link and click OK Click inside the URL box, paste your link (Ctrl+V), and click OK. Excel will connect to mCare — this may take a few seconds. |
9 | Format the data in Power Query Editor Click Transform > To Table > OK. Click the opposing arrows icon in each column header and choose Expand to New Rows. Repeat for every column that still shows the icon — scroll right to find them all. Then click Close & Load. |
10 | Confirm the data has loaded and save immediately Check the data is visible in your tab. Save the workbook (Ctrl+S) before moving to the next report. |
� � Tip: If Excel asks for your username and password at Step 8, go to Data > Get Data > Data Source Settings > Global Permissions, click care.personcentredsoftware.com, then Edit Permissions > Edit > Basic. Enter your mCare credentials and click Save. Then repeat from Step 7.
⚠ Important: Repeat all 10 steps for each of the 7 tabs. The only things that change each time are which report you open in Step 2 and the filters you set in Step 3.
Tab by Tab — What to Pull and How
TAB 1 - CARE NOTES
Care notes are the most detailed day-to-day record of Margaret's care. They show what was done, what was observed, and what was communicated at the time of each interaction.
Where to find it in mCare
• Go to Reports in the top menu
• Select Care Notes Report
Filters to set
• Service user: select Margaret
• Date from / Date to: the full period under investigation
• Show past people only: leave unchecked
• All other filters: leave as default to capture everything
What to look for
• Is there a complete, unbroken record of care across the period?
• Are notes detailed and descriptive, or sparse?
• Are there any notes flagging concerns, changes in condition, or observations that prompted action?
• Are the notes attributed to named staff members with timestamps?
� � Data & Integrity: Care notes are timestamped at the point of entry and cannot be backdated in mCare. This means the record you are exporting is precisely what was recorded, when it was recorded. This is your strongest evidence of contemporaneous care delivery.
TAB 2 - CARE ALERTS
Care alerts capture situations where care was not delivered as planned; missed care, refused care, or specific clinical flags. They are not evidence of poor care in themselves; they are evidence that your systems were identifying and flagging concerns in real time.
Where to find it in mCare
• Go to Reports in the top menu
• Select Care Alerts
Filters to set
• Service user: select Margaret
• Date from / Date to: the full period under investigation
• Note: this report has a maximum export window of 7 days. If your investigation covers a longer period, run the report in weekly batches and paste each into the same tab, one beneath the other
What to look for
• Were any care tasks regularly missed or refused? This may indicate a change in Margaret's needs or presentation.
• Were alerts followed up - is there a corresponding care note or incident record?
• Are the alert types consistent with what was known about Margaret's risks at the time?
⚠ Important: If you need more than 7 days of data, run the report in consecutive weekly windows. For a four-week period you will run it four 9 times. Paste each result directly beneath the previous one in the tab — do not create separate sheets.
TAB 3 - RISK ASSESSMENTS
This tab provides Margaret's risk assessments in full - every question and every answer, as they stood during the relevant period. This is the most detailed evidence of how her risks were being identified and managed.
Where to find it in mCare
• Go to Reports in the top menu
• Select Risk Assessments
Filters to set
• Service user: select Margaret
• Date: use a date within the period under investigation - ideally a date when assessments were known to be current
• Assessment type: leave as All to capture the full picture, unless you have been asked to focus on a specific risk area
What to look for
• Were all relevant risk assessments in place - falls, pressure care, nutrition, moving and handling, and any condition-specific assessments?
• Do the risk levels recorded reflect what was known about Margaret at the time?
• Were assessments up to date, or overdue? Check the date each was last reviewed.
� � Tip: If the investigation relates to a specific incident, for example a fall; focus particular attention on the Falls Risk Assessment. Check when it was last reviewed and whether the risk level had changed in the period leading up to the incident.
TAB 4 - RISK ASSESSMENT HISTORY
Where Tab 3 shows the current state of Margaret's risk assessments, this tab shows the trajectory. It provides one entry per risk assessment type per month for the past 12 months, showing how risk levels changed over time.
Where to find it in mCare
• Go to Reports in the top menu
• Select Risk Assessments - 12 Month Summary
Filters to set
• Service user: select Margaret
• No date filter required - this report automatically covers the past 12 months from today
What to look for
• Were risk scores escalating in the period leading up to the incident or the period under investigation?
• Were there months where assessments were not completed? These represent gaps in the governance record.
• Did risk levels change significantly at any point, and was there a corresponding change in the care plan?
� � Data & Integrity: Risk trends are often central to both CQC and coroner's scrutiny. An escalating risk score that was not met with a change in care planning is a significant governance concern. An escalating score that was met with a documented response demonstrates exactly the kind of proactive management that regulators and courts expect to see.
TAB 5 - CARE PLAN
The care plan establishes the standard against which care delivery is measured. It sets out what care was agreed for Margaret, based on her assessed needs and personal wishes - and it is what inspectors and coroners will use to assess whether the care she received was appropriate.
Where to find it in mCare
• Go to Reports in the top menu
• Select Care Plans
Filters to set
• Service user: select Margaret
• Date: use a date within the period under investigation to pull the care plan as it stood at that time
What to look for
• Does the care plan reflect Margaret's assessed needs and known risks?
• Is it sufficiently detailed and person-centred? Does it describe how care should be delivered, not just what?
• Is there alignment between the care plan, the risk assessments, and what the care notes show was actually delivered?
• Was it reviewed and updated appropriately as Margaret's needs changed?
� � Tip: If you can demonstrate that the care plan was updated in response to changes in Margaret's condition or risk profile, this is strong evidence of responsive, well-managed care. Look for version history or review dates within the exported data.
TAB 6 — FLUID & NUTRITION NOTES
Fluid intake and nutrition are closely scrutinised in investigations involving a decline in health, dehydration, or malnutrition. A complete and accurate record of what was monitored and how concerns were acted upon is essential.
Where to find it in mCare
• Go to Reports in the top menu
• Select Fluid Care Notes
Filters to set
• Service user: select Margaret
• Date from / Date to: the full period under investigation
• Community: your care home
• Maximum 7 days per export, run in weekly batches if the period is longer, pasting results beneath each other in the same tab
What to look for
• Was fluid intake being recorded consistently throughout each day?
• Were there periods of low intake, and were these flagged and acted upon?
• Are there care notes or alerts that correspond to periods of concern about nutrition or hydration?
TAB 7 - CARE INTERACTIONS
This tab provides a summary of the care that was planned for Margaret against the care that was actually delivered, broken down by care type and the role of the person providing it. It is a direct measure of whether Margaret received the care she was entitled to.
Where to find it in mCare
• Go to Reports in the top menu
• Select Care Interactions
Filters to set
• Service user: select Margaret
• Date from / Date to: the full period under investigation
• Community: your care home
• Leave the optional parameters at their default values
What to look for
• Were the planned care interactions being delivered in full?
• Are there consistent gaps between what was planned and what was delivered? If so, is there a documented reason?
• Was care being delivered by appropriately qualified staff in the right roles?
� � Data & Integrity: Gaps between planned and actual care are a significant finding in any investigation. If there are gaps in this tab, cross reference with the Care Alerts tab (Tab 2) and the Care Notes tab (Tab 1) to understand whether they were identified, documented, and responded to at the time.
After You Have Exported Everything
Once all seven tabs are populated, do the following before the workbook leaves your hands:
1. Save the workbook one final time with its full dated name.
2. Do a quick check: scroll through each tab to confirm data has loaded correctly and there are no blank sheets.
3. Make a note of the date, time, and your name as the person who produced the export. You may be asked to confirm this in writing.
4. Store the workbook securely. If it is being shared with CQC, a legal team, or the coroner's office, follow your organisation's protocols for transferring sensitive data; do not send it via standard email without encryption or secure transfer.
5. Do not delete or modify the workbook after it has been produced. If corrections are needed, produce a new export, label it clearly, and document why a second export was necessary.
⚠ Important: The workbook you have produced is a legal document in the context of an investigation. Treat it accordingly. If you have any uncertainty about what to include, how to share it, or what is being asked of you, seek guidance from your organisation's management team or legal advisers before proceeding.
Need Help?
If you have any difficulty pulling the data, the User Guide - Extracting Your Data covers the core steps in detail, including how to resolve authentication errors and common Excel issues. If you are under time pressure because of an urgent regulatory request, contact your internal system administrator immediately - they may be able to assist or escalate through your organisation's support channels.
Should you require any data or reporting beyond what is included here, please contact your Customer Success Manager in the first instance to discuss your requirements.
For technical support with mCare itself, contact the Person Centred Software Support team.