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CQC inspection readiness scorecard for private GPs

22 questions across the CQC’s five key questions, with next steps for your weakest areas. About ten minutes, no account needed.

England only. The CQC regulates private GP services in England. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, check the standards of HIW, HIS or RQIA instead.

Part 1 of 5: Safe0 of 22 answered

Safe

Are people protected from abuse and avoidable harm? Safeguarding, medicines, results, emergencies and premises.

  1. 1. Do you have a safeguarding policy, a named safeguarding lead, and certificates showing everyone is trained to the right level for their role?

    Why it matters: Inspectors check that training levels match each person’s role and that staff know who to go to with a concern.

  2. 2. Do you log significant events and near misses, analyse them, and record what changed, and do you act on medicines and device safety alerts?

    Why it matters: Learning from incidents is a quality statement in its own right, and a log with no entries is itself a question.

  3. 3. Does your prescribing policy cover remote prescribing (including identity checks), controlled drugs and monitoring of high-risk medicines, and can you show the monitoring from your records?

    Why it matters: Prescribing is one of the main areas inspectors of private GP services look at, often through a sample of records.

  4. 4. Is every test result you request seen, acted on and communicated, with a way to see which results are still outstanding?

    Why it matters: Missed or unactioned results are a common safety risk, and inspectors may ask how many are outstanding and for how long.

  5. 5. Are your emergency medicines and equipment set by a documented risk assessment, with a log of regular checks and expiry dates?

    Why it matters: The CQC expects GP services to be able to manage medical emergencies, and the risk assessment explains what you keep and why.

  6. 6. Do you have current infection control arrangements (policy, audit, cleaning schedules, clinical waste contract) and up-to-date fire, health and safety and COSHH risk assessments?

    Why it matters: Premises and infection control evidence is easy to check on a site visit, and gaps are easy to spot.

  7. 7. Is there a complete file for everyone who works in the service, including you: identity, right to work, DBS, professional registration, indemnity, references, immunisation status and training?

    Why it matters: Recruitment checks are a regulation in their own right, and inspectors often sample staff files.

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About this scorecard

The questions follow the CQC’s five key questions and the quality statements in its assessment framework: safe (7), effective (4), caring (3), responsive (3), well-led (5). Each one describes good-practice evidence that inspectors commonly look for in a small private GP service. They come from our first CQC inspection evidence checklist, which has the full list.

Yes scores 2, Partly 1 and No 0, and “Not applicable” is left out. Each key question shows green at 80% or more, amber from 50 to 79% and red under 50%.

This is a self-assessment to help you prioritise. It isn’t produced or endorsed by the CQC, it doesn’t cover every regulation, and it doesn’t predict a rating. The CQC is also introducing sector-specific frameworks, but the five key questions remain, so check the CQC’s current guidance before you organise your evidence.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

The CQC only covers England. In Wales, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) inspects independent clinics against the Independent Health Care (Wales) Regulations 2011 and national minimum standards. In Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) regulates independent clinics, including private GP services. In Northern Ireland, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) registers and inspects independent clinics. Most of the evidence in this scorecard still applies, but build it around your own regulator’s standards.

Reviewed by
The Private GP Forum editorial team
Last reviewed

Sources

  1. Assessment framework: key questions and quality statementsCare Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed
  2. Independent doctors: evidence categories (safe)Care Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed
  3. Independent doctors: evidence categories (well-led)Care Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed
  4. Extra documents: GPs and independent consulting doctorsCare Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed
  5. Regulation 17: Good governanceCare Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed
  6. Regulation 20: Duty of candourCare Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed
  7. GP mythbuster 1: Emergency care in general practiceCare Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed
  8. GP mythbuster 15: ChaperonesCare Quality Commission · cqc.org.uk · Accessed

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