We welcome the General Practice Forward View, published today by NHS England.
The Forward View sets out a vision for primary care that includes:
- Increasing investment in the sector, including in better technology.
- Expanding and supporting staffing.
- Reducing burdens on practices to help them to release time.
Today’s plans demonstrate a shared commitment between NHS England, the General Medical Council (GMC) and CQC. The three organisations have also published a statement of intent describing how we are working together to improve the experience of regulation for both general practices and GPs individually. The statement supports plans to develop our regulatory model, which we will set out in our final strategy document in May 2016.
Practices rated as good and outstanding, currently the vast majority, will be inspected at least every five years, provided there is transparent data and we remain assured that the quality of care has not changed significantly since the previous inspection. If we have concerns, we may revisit sooner.
I share a common goal with the profession, which is to make sure patients get safe, high-quality and compassionate care. I hope that the General Practice Forward View, together with CQC’s own plans for regulation, will make this a reality.
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice