The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has appointed a new Deputy Chief Inspector for Primary Care in London.
Currently at Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Groups (BHH), Ursula Gallagher will join CQC in May, where she will report to the Chief Inspector of General Practice, Professor Steve Field.
She becomes one of four Deputy Chief Inspectors reporting to Professor Field and will play a major role in the development and implementation of the new approach to inspection of primary care services.
Professor Field said: ‘I am delighted that Ursula will be joining CQC, particularly during such a fascinating time in the regulation of primary care.
‘Ursula will play a critical role in supporting the roll out of our new approach to inspecting primary care in our capital city, highlighting the standards of practice that her team finds.
‘Poor quality in primary care can have serious consequences for the health and wellbeing of a large number of people and this is one of the reasons these roles and the work of the Primary Medical Services Directorate are vitally important.
‘Through regulation, we drive improvement, giving more patients good experiences of primary care.’
Professor Gallagher said: ‘I’m delighted to be joining during this exciting time. I’m looking forward to working with the team and building relationships with patients and other organisations that play a role in the delivery of primary care.’
CQC started to publish ratings for all GP practices it inspects last October. These tell patients and commissioners whether the care provided is outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.
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I’m looking forward to working with the team and building relationships with patients and other organisations that play a role in the delivery of primary care.’
Ursula Gallagher, Deputy Chief Inspector for Primary Care