GP leaders have welcomed news of the suspension of routine inspections during the Covid-19 crisis.

The Care Quality Commission said it would be concentrating its efforts on supporting providers to keep patients and staff safe. Chief executive Ian Trenholm said: “It may still be necessary to use our inspection powers in a very small number of cases when there is clear evidence of harm, such as allegations of abuse.”

It is the latest initiative around the UK aimed at lifting the burden of red tape from practices during the crisis. Royal College of GPs chair Professor Martin Marshall said: “Covid-19 is set to test the NHS for weeks and months to come and GPs and our teams will increasingly be at the forefront of tackling it, but we are already a profession under pressure and we will need to start doing some things differently.

“We need to think seriously about what tasks to prioritise over others, and what we can stop doing while we focus on patients who have or who are worried about Covid-19 – and it is right that these conversations start with our more administrative and bureaucratic duties. The College has been calling for a suspension of routine CQC inspections of general practice as preparing for these can be a huge amount of work for GPs and our teams and we are pleased that the CQC has taken heed of this. This is a sensible place to start in freeing up time and capacity in general practice to deliver patient care.”

The British government issued stark new advice to the public yesterday, urging people not to travel and not to hold large gatherings. It called for as much home working as possible. It came as the number of deaths in the UK increased by 20, reaching 53. Health secretary Matt Hancock told MPs: “These actions will change the ordinary lives of everyone in this country. We appreciate that they are very significant and I understand that people will be concerned. But we have come to the view that they are necessary to save lives and to stop this disease.”