A five-minute plain-English explainer of the Health and Care Act 2022 licensing powers, the August 2025 government response, the proposed traffic-light procedure tiers, and the realistic 2027+ rollout timeline.
Video library
England’s licensing scheme in five minutes
Read the transcript
Not yet. The government confirmed a traffic light scheme in August 2025, with local authority licences for practitioners and premises, and the highest risk work sitting with the Care Quality Commission. The follow up consultation still had not landed by the middle of 2026, so a realistic start is 2027 or later. Today the real gate is a recognised qualification and what your insurer will accept.