 A pin with a flag on the end, against a plain background. We have been made aware that some providers have been refusing or stopping secondary or community care teamsâ access to patient records as they are concerned this might impact on their own CQC inspection outcomes. We want to assure providers that any inspection of their service will only review the safety and effectiveness of clinical care they provide to their patients (including how they appropriately liaise with other stakeholders to ensure patient safety).  Any clinician signing a prescription is responsible for ensuring the medicine is appropriate for the patientâs needs, and that required monitoring is up to date, and that it is safe to issue the medicine. To support this, practices may wish to download pathology results where available or to record that monitoring has been checked at the time of prescribing. When GP Specialist Advisors review the clinical searches during an inspection, they always review a sample of patient records. Where prescribing and monitoring are only undertaken by secondary care services this is fully taken into account. Results from clinical records reviews are discussed with the lead GP during the inspection. If your practice has particular circumstances or concerns, please discuss these with the GP Specialist Advisor. The clinical searches have been designed to identify potential risk and are based on indicators known to cause safety concerns; they align with the professionâs shared view of quality. CQCâs clinical searches are freely available for all practices to use and we encourage practices to do so.  An open laptop with a blank notebook resting open upon it. Reading glasses and a pen rest upon the notebook. Ofsted, CQC, HMICFRS and HMI Probation have undertaken a programme of thematic joint targeted area inspections (JTAI) and the inspectorates have recently published guidance for their thematic focus on domestic abuse. Lucy Harte, Deputy Director for Multiagency Operations at CQC, said: âThis is an invaluable opportunity to focus on the experience of young children who need timely support, and the impact of interventions designed to protect and support them. By working with our joint inspectorates, we will also be able to consider the initial health response to children and families outside of a traditional health setting, looking at how ambulance services and their local area partnerships are working together.â  Hands typing on a keyboard. The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) regulations protect individuals from accidental or unintentional exposure to ionising radiation in healthcare settings. Healthcare providers must notify us of incidents that meet reporting thresholds. Our annual report outlines the number and types of errors reported between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, along with key findings from our inspections and enforcement activities during that period. In 2023/24, we received a total of 819 notifications across all modalities. These incidents represent a small proportion of over 30 million diagnostic imaging exams and 116,000 radiotherapy treatments conducted. Common issues included errors resulting from inadequate identity checks and staffing shortages. The report identifies recurring concerns and offers practical actions for employers to improve safety and compliance with regulations. Note to providers: With effect from 1 October 2024, IR(ME)R 17 will be amended to the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 - or 'IR(ME)R Amendments 2024â.  Statutory Instrument and Explanatory memorandum: The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (legislation.gov.uk) and The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (legislation.gov.uk).  The accompanying IR(ME)R guidance has also been updated to support interpretation of the new provisions: Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017: guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).   Two people looking at an open laptop screen - one person is pointing at the screen. The Institute for Employment Studies are researching workforce inequalities in health and social care and want to hear from you. They want to understand how employees with certain characteristics are unequally treated while at work, including discrimination, bullying or harassment, not being fairly considered for promotion, or not being able to get issues like these recognised or resolved when they arise. The online survey takes 20 minutes to complete and will provide evidence of how workforce inequalities are experienced and observed in the health and social care sector, providing a better understanding of the frequency and types of workforce inequalities. If you have any questions, please email workforce-inequalities@employment-studies.co.uk. -
GP mythbuster 1: resuscitation in GP surgeries , GP mythbuster 29: Looking after homeless patients in General Practice, GP mythbuster 61: Patient registration, and GP mythbuster 77: Access to GP services have all been updated recently. -
Moritz Flockenhaus, one of our Regulatory Policy Managers has published a blog with the AI and Digital Regulations Service for Health and Social Care on 'reflections on building the AI and Digital Regulations Service' - you can read the blog here. -
In a new , Robyn Chappell, Lived Experience Advisor, reflects on her experience as part of the Expert Advisory Group for a project with CQC and the Point of Care Foundation, funded by the Regulatorsâ Pioneer Fund, which is developing an engagement and health inequalities improvement framework for integrated care systems. We also share an on our website. -
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