As the year draws to a close, thoughts are turning to the Christmas period and a deserved break – and what 2018 holds in store for GP practices and practice managers. One of the most talked about changes staking place is the amended CQC inspection programme. Further information on that can be found here. Others,…

People who miss practice appointments regularly are often highly vulnerable, according to a major analysis published today. The findings reopened the debate on how to deal with people who fail to turn up for appointments. It has been suggested that fines might deter this. In the largest survey yet to be undertaken on missed appointments,…

The government is making “unrealistic” promises about recruiting GPs and nurses, a think-tank warns today. The Health Foundation report condemns NHS workforce planning as “not fit for purpose.” The report highlights declining numbers of GPs and nurses – combined with early indications that recruitment campaigns are showing little success. The researchers highlight a promise to…

The vast majority of practices have achieved high ratings from Care Quality Commission inspectors, according to an analysis published today. The CQC figures show that so far 2% of practices have been rated inadequate and another 8% told they need improvement. The analysis shows the results of inspections of all 7,500 practices in England and…

GPs faced a steep increase in patient complaints over the last year as services came under increasing pressure, according to new figures. GPs and dentists received a total of 8,000 more written complaints in the year from 2016 to 2017 than the previous year, NHS Digital reported. This represented a 9.7% increase as the total…

GP leaders have reacted with dismay to the latest plans for practice inspections. The Care Quality Commission promised to lighten the burden on practices – and says that those with good reports will enjoy longer intervals between inspections. But its plans require practices to provide regular reports and updates for monitoring by inspectors. The Commission…

A GP is facing a disciplinary tribunal accused of clearing time in his diary by booking appointments for fake patients. Dr Andrew Thomson, use “M Mouse” as one of his fake patients of the while working at the Academy Health Centre, Forfar, Angus, Scotland, the Medical Practitioner Tribunal Service heard. He is accused of having…