In March 2026, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) formally published ISO 25557:2026 – Ageing societies: Care quality for older persons at home and in care facilities. This represents a significant milestone in the development of internationally agreed, evidence-based standards for the delivery and assurance of care services. This project was led by Kevin Groombridge, CEO of Care Inspections UK and involved experts from the UK and worldwide.
ISO 25557:2026 establishes, for the first time, a comprehensive international framework defining what “good” looks like in the provision of care for older people. The standard applies across both residential settings and care delivered in people’s own homes, reflecting the increasingly diverse models of care seen globally.
The standard is structured around key domains, including:
Crucially, ISO 25557 moves beyond high-level principles. It provides clear, measurable expectations for objective assessment, benchmarking, and continuous improvement.
The publication of ISO 25557:2026 builds on earlier work in the UK, including BS 8606:2019, but extends significantly beyond it in both scope and applicability. While BS 8606 focused on adult residential care, ISO 25557 provides a broader, internationally relevant framework specifically addressing the needs of ageing populations.
The publication comes at a critical time. Ageing populations, workforce pressures, and increasing complexity of care needs are placing unprecedented demands on care systems worldwide. At the same time, many regulatory frameworks have struggled with:
ISO 25557 directly addresses these challenges by providing a consistent, evidence-based reference point for care quality.
For care providers, the standard offers a structured pathway to:
For commissioners, lenders, and investors, ISO 25557 provides:
At Care Inspections UK, the publication of ISO 25557:2026 represents a pivotal advancement in the evolution of care quality assurance.
Our inspection methodology has long been grounded in:
The introduction of ISO 25557:2026 provides an internationally recognised benchmark that reinforces this approach and supports the continued shift away from subjective, judgement-led inspection models.
The publication of ISO 25557:2026 is not an endpoint—it is a foundation. As adoption grows, it has the potential to:
