Why is the CQC valuable for private GP?

Benefits of CQC for private GPs

Although registration with the CQC and regular inspections can feel daunting, there are many benefits of the CQC for private GPs, these include:

Ensuring you are compliant

In order to register with the CQC and complete regular inspections, you will need to provide evidence that your practice is up to date with training, policies and legal requirements.

This means you must fully understand what is expected of you and evidence that your practice is compliant, a useful exercise to ensure you are legally doing everything you should.  

Attracting patients

When looking to spend money or book a service, people are looking for trust factors that their money is well spent, or they will be in safe hands.

Following your inspection, the CQC will provide a badge displaying your rating which you can add to your website, put on promotional materials and display in your practice.

This is a great way for prospective patients to place their trust in you and to demonstrate to current patients that you remain the best choice for them.

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Ratings for private GP practices

The CQC issues ratings to all health and social care services on a four-point scale. The ratings are:  

Outstanding – the service is performing exceptionally well  

Good – the service is performing well and meeting our expectations  

Requires improvement – the service is not performing as well as it should, and we have told the service how it must improve  

Inadequate – the service is performing badly, and we’ve taken action against the person or organisation that runs it

There are currently less than 50 independent doctors in the UK who are rated as ‘outstanding’ by the CQC.

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