Agenda item

Overview of Care Quality Commission Ratings for Sheffield General Practices

Report of the Chief Nurse, NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group

Minutes:

6.1

The Committee received a report of the Chief Nurse for Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) which detailed the results of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections of Sheffield’s General Practices. Present for the item was Chief Nurse Mandy Philbin.

 

 

6.2

Members made various comments and asked a number of questions, to which responses were provided as follows:-

 

 

 

·         All 85 practices had been inspected to date, of which 83 had been rated ‘Good’, 1 rated ‘Requiring Improvement’ and 1 rated ‘Inadequate’. Ms Philbin confirmed the latter two were Barnsley Road Surgery and the Mathews Practice respectively.

 

 

 

·         These inspections had been carried out in 2017, with the Inadequate rated practice being inspected twice.

 

 

 

·         After negative rating, the CCG provided intensive support through a recovery plan in order to address the areas needing help and to ensure resilience through medical leadership and accountability. If the service didn’t improve, the intensity of that support would increase.

 

 

 

·         With regard to those practices not improving, the CQC could take a decision to shut down a practice during their inspection. Alternatively, the CCG could serve notice of withdrawing funding owing to contractual agreements within the recovery plan not being met. After this point the CCG could make the practice financially non-viable and effectively close it down.

 

 

 

·         If a service were shut down, the CCG would ensure alternative provision of care was available immediately, such as through other providers in the neighbourhood.

 

 

 

·         Ms Philbin emphasised that the process to close a GP surgery was highly regulated with a long timescale to encourage improvement, and that conversations would be held with partners to explore options and alternative provision before any decision to effectively close a GP surgery was taken.

 

 

 

·         Members were pleased to see the improvements made to those issues and areas which had been commented on last year and that the vast majority of practices were rated as ‘Good’ with some ‘Outstanding’ areas of work. Members also noted that the aspiration was to increase the level of ‘Outstanding’ activities through sharing best practice, case studies and research

 

 

6.3

RESOLVED: That the Committee thanks those attending for their contribution to the meeting and notes the contents of the report and the responses to the questions.

 

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