A Word from First Practice Management

The FPM Group, like the rest of the UK, is gearing up for the end of lockdown, and primary care is no different.

Given that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have announced that they will be restarting their inspections of primary care services, GP practices will need to be ready when the inspector calls.

Gerry Devine, Training Services Manager, has been looking at what challenges’ practices will face in their next inspection.

A simple plan for practice managers would be to adopt a 3-step gap analysis looking at the leadership teams’ understanding, having existing systems and practices that meet CQC standards, and ensuring that staff are aware that how they work matches up with the inspector’s requirements

In April 2021 the number of practices with a ‘requires improvement’ rating was approximately 310, which are members of 89 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

While the CQC approach is risk based and incremental, the direction of travel is clear – so all practices now need to be thinking about and assessing their current level of preparedness for their next inspection.

Thornfields Primary Care Training Services has a selection of training courses designed specifically to prepare practices for their inspection and help them understand the implications of practice registration with the CQC.

Our trainers share best practice and key characteristics of ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ care under each area of inspection, and explain how practices can demonstrate how they worked during COVID-19 to keep staff and patients safe.

For more information and support on how to prepare for your CQC Inspection, please visit: thornfields. co.uk/cqc-compliance-and-inspection-support