CQC Chief Inspector Steve Field has announced that the results of the first round of GP inspections will be available within six weeks, GP Online has reported. The results, the first to come out of the new inspection regime, in place since 1st October, will be notified to practices ahead of their publication but only “a day or so” in advance. Following an inspection, the lead inspector will draft a report and share it with the practice for fact-checking, before a rating is assigned. The rating will then be peer reviewed by an inspection manager and a regional panel, with a random sample undergoing even further checks.
The CQC has also published a provider handbook, explaining to practices how to prepare for an inspection and what to expect during the process.
The regulator initially plans to have 800 inspections completed by the end of 2014, with the process gradually increasing in speed.
Certain concerns have been raised after it emerged that the inspectors could have access to non-anonymised patient data without the need for prior consent.
