When welcoming the team of CQC Inspectors to the surgery, no doubt you will have some questions to ask them. Who are they? What are their credentials? What experience have they of general practice? What can they ask you about and what rights do they have when asking you questions? However, you will find that most of them will head off to talk to other people. The Registered Manager will be first followed by the staff, doctors and members of the Patient Participation Group. Your job is to prepare your colleagues in advance.

Be Ready!

By now, November 2015, all your policies, protocols and procedures should be prepared, files should be up to date and recruitment processes should be clear. Staff appraisals and training should be provided and certificated with staff fully acquainted with their job basics and effective relevant policies. The surgery should be adequately signposted and information regarding opening hours, contact numbers and staff on duty should be available on leaflets at the reception and on notice boards. Make sure staff wear name badges with their designation.

You will be surprised how intrusive the Inspectors are. Present your practice in the best light possible. You may be asked for a selection of staff files and proof of DBS/CRB checks. Consider the safety aspects of the practice building too. Things like exit routes, fire precautions, facilities for the disabled, panic alarms and CCTV. Your premises need to be safe not just the practices of the occupants.

Questions to the Staff

Staff members could be asked the following:

• When did they last have an appraisal and lifesaving skills training?
• Who would they report to with worries about a patient who appears vulnerable?
• What action might they take if a patient collapses in front of them?

The worst scenario during an inspection would be for a patient to ‘kick off’ at the reception, or to get a difficult telephone call resulting in loud voices. The Inspectors will be watching and listening so staff should deal calmly with any situation.

Stuff to be Wary of

The Inspectors will be looking around offices and desks. They will be checking to see that clinical records have been correctly completed by doctors using codes and not just free text. Make sure there are no piles of un-scanned clinical letters on desks. The Inspectors will want to see that patients are given choices in their treatment and care, that Choose and Book is used by the doctors and that referrals are made promptly, especially 14 day referrals. Practice nurses may be asked about their training and learning plans and should be able to demonstrate compliance with Patient Group Directives.

• Are records of drugs and vaccines kept and is the temperature of the vaccine fridge recorded and checked?
• Are the contents of the doctors’ medical bags checked for the datedness of drugs?
• Is there an oxygen supply and has the defibrillator been tested and maintained?

The CQC Inspectors will always come up with something new, so be aware. Carry out risk assessments to justify why something hasn’t been done and always check draft policy document content. Beware of plagiarism!

The way to deal effectively with an inspection visit is to know your practice well and be prepared! Don’t be taken by surprise. CQC Inspections are here to stay.

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For more help on CQC inspections, see the following threads in the forum:

CQC inspections – the unexpected
CQC questionnaire for staff
CQC inspection questions…
CQC Presentation