Earlier this week, Management in Practice was joined by the CQC at our live event in Birmingham to explain the implications of the CQC’s latest regime.
Practice managers took the opportunity to ask Andy Brand, interim head of inspection, and Steven Paisley, interim inspection manager (primary medical services), about how updates to the service might impact their work with the CQC.
The next event will take place in Newcastle (30 November).
Does the CQC think practices should be reaching pre-pandemic numbers for face-to-face appointments?
We want to make sure that people can access appointments in a way that meets their needs: there’s a real balance of expectations and need. Part of the challenge for us is working that out. What we’re looking for is appointments that meet people’s needs.
How will the CQC balance legitimate and unfair patient complaints about this? Will complaints trigger a visit?
These won’t be looked at in isolation. The CQC will tell inspectors what is happening in a practice.
The CQC now undertakes ‘focused inspections’ that are more targeted, and may not answer all five of the CQC’s ‘key questions’. Will a practice’s existing rating be impacted by this?
We can change a rating on the basis of a focused inspection, but we can’t go to a practice and consider one key question on its own and then change the rating. We’d have to physically go to a practice in order for it to become a ratings inspection. To change an overall rating we’d be looking at focusing on three key questions: safe, effective and well-led.
If, during a focused inspection, the inspector has other concerns that need to be addressed, we cannot open those up.
Management in Practice Birmingham (9 November) was our second of three live events since the pandemic began.
The next event will take place in Newcastle (30 November).
The one day, free-to-attend event is designed specifically for Practice Managers, GP Partners, Administration teams, and those involved in running GP surgeries, federations, PCNs and other primary care medical services.
Topics covered include managing changes to commissioning structures, HR, finance, technology, staff wellbeing, and legal issues, with an expert panel of speakers, including Kay Keane, director of the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM), and Dr Amar Rughani, provost Royal College of General Practitioners South Yorkshire North Trent Faculty.
More information can be found here.
