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COMMISSIONING | CQC update
“A lot of GPs are entirely leaving it to their practice manager,” says Banyard. However he admits that this is for reasons he understands. GPs are in a completely new position and, unlike dentists, have not been subject to this sort of scrutiny before. “GP boards, as practice entities probably aren’t grasping the fact that they are about to fill in a legal document that needs to be fully understood by them,” reflects Banyard. “The challenge [for practice managers] is probably getting boards to understand the process and also to allocate amongst themselves some of the key responsibilities.” Although it is unlikely that the practice manager will nominate themselves as the registered manager for CQC, the majority of the responsibility for ensuring compliance does appear to be lying with you. So where do you go for support?
But there is a certain amount of anxiety evident in practices about the integrity of this advice, with one PM who responded to our survey saying: “I’ve no idea whose advice to trust. I don’t know who I can trust to give fair, impartial, practical advice”, and one practice even claimed they were given incorrect information from a consultant. Banyard advises PMs not to overlook the CQC itself as a source of support if they are feeling unsure: “In the case of any doubt at all, get it in writing from the CQC, because at the end of the day it’s them that determine whether or not you comply.” Finally, are there any common pitfalls that practices should watch out for? “Common areas that could be overlooked include surveying and testing for Legionella and asbestos,” explains Hollis, “particularly for buildings that were built pre-2000.” He warns that this should be completed by a specialist, rather than surgery staff. He also advises PMs to not get complacent because their practice might seem too new/big/small etc. to not breeze through CQC: “Our experience suggests that the challenge is consistent irrespective of the size of practice. All surgeries face the same day to day headaches around issues such as staffing, hygiene standards and other health and safety factors.” Banyard believes that what practices are going through now is just the tip of the iceberg – the biggest test won’t be getting through registration and compliance; it will be maintaining the CQC standard after they’ve made it through: “That’s when the fun starts in terms of compliance,” he explains. “That’s when the CQC will be clearly looking to ratchet up any standards in areas where they perceive there to be a risk,” he warns. So, watch this space.
Our experience suggests that the challenge is consistent irrespective of the size of practice. All surgeries face the same day to day headaches
No-nonsense advice Although it is down to the individual practice whether or not it seeks advice from an outside party, and LMCs are suggesting that it is unnecessary, Banyard advises PMs to consider all options because they might be wasting precious time carrying out unnecessary tasks under the premise that this will make them compliant: “The reality is that practices are busy places and I have found that practice managers do spend an awful lot of time, which you could call wasted, updating policy and procedures – which I’m not saying is right or wrong, it’s probably an excellent thing to do – but it’s not going to get you through the CQC.” There is a glut of consultancies all claiming to be the solution to your CQC woes.
august 2012 | practicebusiness.co.uk