One of the big talking points of recent weeks has undoubtedly been the hefty increase in CQC inspection fees. In a nutshell, the proposals would mean fees for an average-sized GP practice with 5,001-10,000 patients increase by almost £2,000, to £4,500. What’s more, an article in Pulse says that the Department of Health has been…

Plans to increase inspection fees for practices by more than 75% sparked outrage last night. The Care Quality Commission has taken the step after overspending its budgets for practice inspections in a desperate bid to meet targets. The practice fees are due to be reimbursed by NHS England, allowing the commission to boost its budgets…

After 15 minutes providing the CQC chief inspector (aka ‘the chief’) with a thorough overview of the PPG things started to get a bit more interesting and I must admit that I found the remainder of the ‘discussion’ valuable, insightful, useful and in a few cases ‘eye-opening’! As best I can, I’ll try and group…

Part one of three: The CQC inspection process through the eyes of a PPG chairman  “As a PPG Chairman I’ve heard a lot about the CQC in recent times… so last month I admit I was particularly pleased to hear they were visiting our practice. Being a proactive PPG chair, I encouraged PPG members to do…

Nearly 600 practices could close in the next four years amid a growing shortage of GPs, it was claimed yesterday. Across the UK the shortfall of doctors in general practice will reach nearly 20,000, according to the Royal College of GPs. The college promised a new campaign to recruit a generation of GPs from students…

Once the dreaded communication arrives from the CQC informing you of your inspection date it can spark a number of sleepless nights. What can you do to prepare? How do you know what you’re doing is right? What will the inspectors be looking for? Prompted by a thread on the Practice Index Forum started by…

A topic that came up in conversation recently with a practice manager surrounded how GP practices can be responsive to the needs of its population. This is something that practices definitely need to keep an eye on, especially as it’s an area that CQC inspections focus on and given the population of the UK is…