Five tips for passing your CQC inspection

The CQC inspect private GP practices every five years. The inspection assesses if your services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. In order to conduct their inspection, the CQC will require evidence and documentation which you can prepare throughout the year.  

We’ve collated our top tips to help to take the stress out of your CQC inspection and give you confidence to ensure your practice is highly rated.

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1. Collect and act upon patient feedback all year round

In order for the CQC to assess if your services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, they will need to see feedback from your patients to assess your practice from a patient's perspective.  

If you wait until you know you are about to be assessed, it can be very hard to gather patient feedback in time for your inspection.

It is recommended to get into the routine of collecting patient feedback all year round and storing your feedback in a centralised location so it can be easily shared.

Constructive criticism or negative feedback can also be a great opportunity to improve your services and show the CQC that you listen to your patients and aim to improve the service you offer them.

Any feedback that you act upon should be communicated with your patients and evidenced so you can share this with the CQC.

2. Have regular team meetings to discuss policies and procedures

When the CQC inspect your private practice, they may want to talk to members of your staff and ask them questions about how the practice is run and check if they know key policies and procedures.

In order to keep your staff up to date, we recommend monthly clinic meetings where you can involve the whole practice from GPs to support staff.

These meetings will ensure everyone is kept informed of what is happening in the clinic and updated on any changes they need to be aware of.  

It is also the opportunity to talk through a particular policy, giving people the opportunity to ask questions or have a wider discussion so if they are questioned about it by the CQC, they are prepared.

3. Ensure staff stay up to date with mandatory training and appraisals

All staff, including support staff are required to complete regular training and keep up to date with reading new policies and procedures.  

Platforms such as Quality Compliance Systems (QCS) and BlueStream training allow you to assign training to each staff member and view progress, so you are aware of any gaps in training.

These can be addressed with staff during your monthly clinic meeting or in any 1-2-1 meetings you have.

By staying on top of training throughout the year, when the CQC announce their inspection, you can be assured that your staff are fully trained and compliant.  

The CQC will also look for evidence that your doctors have had their annual appraisals and been re-validated.

Private GPs are appraised and re-validated by the Independent Doctor’s Federation (IDF) and although the procedure can be time consuming, it is required to confirm to the GMC that your doctors are still fit to practice.

Doctors at your practice should maintain a portfolio of supporting information, ensure they have a link with a responsible officer and reflect upon any feedback they have had to ensure a smooth appraisal process.  

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4. Be transparent with any significant events or incidents

A key focus of a CQC inspection is looking at any significant events you have had and how you have analysed and learned from these incidents to improve care. Significant events can range from new cancer diagnoses to breaches of confidentiality, complaints to prescribing errors.  

The CQC will be looking to see that the whole practice has learned from any significant events and steps have been taken to prevent these from happening in the future.

It is important to note that significant events can also reflect good practice and demonstrate to the CQC that your services are safe, one of the key questions they will be looking to answer during their inspection.

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5. Conduct monthly clinical audits

Clinical audits demonstrate to the CQC that you are routinely reviewing the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care you provide.

This helps to show you are providing effective and safe care, two of the five questions the CQC are looking to answer in their inspection.  

Clinical audits establish if the healthcare you are providing is in line with evidence base standards, so your patients are receiving the right care and treatment.

Any changes to clinical best practice should be implemented to narrow the gap between existing and best practice.  

By conducting these audits monthly, you can keep your doctors up to date with any changes and demonstrate to the CQC that you are striving to provide the most effective care to your patients.