GP practices are struggling to meet Care Quality Commission (CQC) premises standards – with some areas even facing 44% non-compliance.
The North West had the highest level of non-compliance (44%), followed by Yorkshire (37%) and the South East and West Midlands (36%)
The South West and East of England had 33% non-compliance, while the North East fared best with just 10% non-compliance.
General practice must meet standards in 16 areas, but premises has been one of the most problematic criteria to date, according to the Assura Group.
Managing director of property, Andrew Darke said: “We are not surprised that so many surgeries are still non-compliant – many GPs are practicing out of premises that were never destined for medical use. And where the property is listed or in a heavily built up area, it’s almost impossible to adapt or refurbish the building to meet the criteria set by the CQC.
“The real concern is that non-compliant GP surgeries run the risk of closure and, if practices do start to close, there will be an enormous burden placed on GPs in the vicinity who will be forced to take on additional patients.”
