The latest round of CQC inspection results has been released. Overall the performance of GP practices has been positive, with 85 practices out of the 109 inspected rated good. Two practices received outstanding ratings while, more worryingly, eight were rated inadequate. From the most recent inspections, what did the inspectors love and what did they…

Guest post by Practice Manager Nicola Hayward. This has got to be the mother of all rants possible… if I say those three little letters C, Q and C, do your hackles automatically rise? Does your blood pressure go up by 100? Does that vein in your neck start to pulsate with rage?! I’ve read this…

1) Stop procrastinating We know the thought is as tempting as tackling a copy of War and Peace before bed, but it’s time to stop putting off reading through the CQC Compliance document . Go on – you’ll be glad you did. 2) Get your patients working for you No, not in your practice (why not…

I have not had many occasions where sacking someone was my prime objective, taking disciplinary action was also a rarity. Although I was accused of being soft, I personally found a quiet firm chat usually did the trick. Nevertheless, I can think of two practice managers who were sacked for theft, and one attempt to…

Is your practice well-led? The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recently published more of its popular mythbuster fact sheets. The latest round of mythbusting notes, written by Nigel Sparrow, Senior National GP Advisor and Responsible Officer at the CQC, aim to share the facts about such diverse topics as GP locums, consent for minor surgery…

First impressions really do count – especially it seems when it comes to CQC inspections. Many successful practices say that their opening 30-minute presentation to inspectors really paved the way for success, providing a great opportunity to set the scene and highlight the strengths of the practice. After an introductory session, the CQC will invite…

Now that a healthy number of GP practices have enjoyed the pleasures of a 2015 CQC inspection, we thought it would be a good time to take stock of some of the key trends that inspectors are repeatedly talking about – both good and bad. The CQC’s inspection reports always highlight successful examples of excellent…