Statement on BMA criticisms of CQC inspection regime

On Friday 29 January, the BMA will publish criticisms of CQC’s inspection regime. We have issued the following response.

A spokeswoman said:

‘We make no apology for acting in the best interests of patients, who tell us they want to know care services are safe, effective and responsive.

‘Not only do patients value our inspections, but GPs themselves have told us inspection has helped drive improvement (nearly two thirds of those surveyed). We’ve also found over three quarters (76%) of GP practices and out-of-hours services agreed their inspection provided a thorough review of whether they were safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

‘We’ve worked hard to ensure that the inspection of GP surgeries does not impact adversely on the practice being able to provide patient care by working with practice staff to design the agenda for that day. The feedback we’ve received indicates that surgeries already performing well do not find the preparation for inspection arduous, as the BMA suggests.

‘Refusing to acknowledge problems and blaming those who expose concerns neither supports the profession or protects patients. There can be no improvement without genuine transparency. Sometimes this will involve telling uncomfortable truths.’

Background

• CQC publishes its inspection findings each week, which details where surgeries have been rated outstanding. It has published a tool that demonstrates what outstanding care looks like.
• Fourteen practices have left special measures so far, having made significant improvements. This means that the quality of care that more than 87,000 people receive from their local practice has improved.
• Ninety-percent of surgeries re-inspected have improved in at least one area.
• Over three quarters (76%) of GP practices and out-of-hours services agree that their inspection provided a thorough review of whether they were safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. And nearly two thirds (59%) of GP practices and out-of-hours services said that their inspection report had assisted in driving improvement.
• Most of the care found by CQC has been good but there is still too much poor care. Since we began inspecting, we have found 107 practices inadequate and this amounts to around 500,000 patients not receiving basic standards of care they should expect from their practice.
• Katherine Murphy from the Patients Association said: "We know from calls to our helpline that patients feel it is important that inspections of GP practices bring to light what’s wrong so that we are all aware of it and so that practices can improve. It is important that the work CQC has been doing in this area continues so that patients are safe."