CQC-style inspections don’t raise standards or improve patient safety, say RCGP members

Inspections such as those carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are not effective in raising standards or ensuring patient safety, delegates at the Royal College of General Practitioners’ annual conference have argued.

The conference hosted a debate on the merits of inspection, in which Rebecca Payne, a GP and clinical adviser to the CQC, spoke in favour of the current regulatory model and Miles Mack, a Scottish GP, argued against.

After a passionate debate the delegates rejected a motion put forward by Payne that read, “This house believes that CQC-type inspection is an essential lever in raising standards and …