The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of all health and social care in England. They monitor, inspect and regulate all hospitals, care homes, home-care agencies, dental practices and GP practices.
By law, all GP practices in England must make sure that the care and treatment they provide meets national standards of quality and safety.
You can expect
- to be respected, involved and told what’s happening at ever stage
- care, treatment and support that meets your needs
- to be safe
- to be cared for by staff with the right skills to do their jobs properly
- your GP practice to routinely check the quality of its services.
If you think the our practice is not meeting national standards you can raise your concerns directly with the practice, including making a formal complaint and also tell the CQC about the matter.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration started on 1st April 2013. From June, every GP practice in England will be inspected every two years – or more frequently if a practice struggles to meet standards or if an incident requires inspection. The inspector may wish to see a sample of patients records, for example to check their format and completeness. The general rule is that the name of the patient should be annoymised, although the CQC does have powers to look at individual patient records. Prior consent will generally need to be sought from the patient.
The CQC inspector may wish to speak to patients to ask about our service. If you would like to you find out more about the work carried out by the CQC you can phone the CQC on 03000 616161 or online through their website at www.cqc.org.uk.