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September 2024 Issue 165
INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER TODAY
Don’t sit back and wait for patients
The business journal for doctors in private practice
In this issue
Be extra careful using social media
Social media is a great tool to promote your practice, but you need to follow some rules P22
Selling this city’s expertise London’s leading private healthcare providers have united to champion it to international patients P24
£12.50
Reflections on the UK’s self-pay prospects from the author of LaingBuisson’s latest market report. n Page 18
Understand what patients want A medico-legal adviser shows what to do if a patient is dissatisfied with their consultation P34
Private docs’ view of CQC: Outstanding Good By Robin Stride
New and seasoned independent doctors are counting the cost of being stuck on a costly waiting list to get the official nod to set up and grow their private practices. Problems with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have led to a stream of complaints brought to the attention of the Independent Doctors Federation (IDF) which has pledged a desire to work with the inspectorate to fix problems. According to the independent CQC adviser to the doctors’ body, many are asking why the watchdog has not invested time and money spent on its new Single Assessment Framework (SAF) and portal into reducing ‘an ever-growing waiting time’ for decisions on applications from those starting up and others changing location or expanded regulated activities. Reporting in the IDF News journal this summer, Martha Walker said: ‘Currently there is around a 28-30 week waiting time for submission of applications to obtaining a decision. ‘Understandably, this is causing
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considerable frustration amongst members, as it is paralysing their ability to start and expand their practices.’ She appealed for affected members to contact the group’s regulation committee, which she said had a healthy working relationship with the CQC, so it could explore solutions to reducing the ‘unacceptable waiting period’. The IDF welcomed a ‘clear and honest’ statement issued by the CQC’s interim chief executive Kate Terroni about ‘the current state of disarray the regulator is in’ that culminated in the departure this summer of its chief executive Ian Trenholm. Regulation committee chair Dr Laila Kaikavoosi said most IDF members were affected by at least one of three areas of concern Ms Terroni spoke about. She told Independent Practitioner Today: ‘Accessing the new portal has proved very problematic for many members, especially for colleagues who are registering new clinics, adding services to their existing clinics, or relocating.
Requires Inadequate improvement ‘A waiting time of 30 weeks for processing an application is unacceptable and can cause significant disruption and distress to service providers. ‘The priority of our members is to provide excellence in patient care. Therefore, it is important that the regulatory process of registration and inspection does not take away the clinician’s attention from their main role as a provider of excellent care.’ IDF chief executive officer Ken Mackness added: ‘The IDF understands the problems the CQC are encountering and welcomes the opportunity to work with them in any way to resolve the issues to meet the demands of an ever-growing group of private patients.’ The IDF hosts an event on 19 November welcoming CQC representatives to talk openly and honestly to IDF members. It will be held at the Royal College of Nursing’s HQ near Harley Street and will delve into t h e C Q C ’s n e w r e g u l a t o r y approach, including the SAF launched in November 2023.
Dr Tim Ballard, its national professional adviser for primary medical services and integrated care, and Dr Janet Ortega, deputy director of primary and community care, are due to participate and face a Q&A session. CQC interim chief executive Kate Terroni has apologised in a statement to registered providers saying: ‘We’ve got things wrong in the implementation of our new regulatory approach. 'I know that the changes we’ve delivered so far are not what we promised. It’s made things more difficult than they should be. We’re not where we want to be and we’re determined to put things right.’ She recognised ‘technical issues and challenges’ with the provider portal meant some providers had not had a good experience and many suffered registration delays. She outlined three urgent and immediate areas of action: improving the CQC’s regulatory approach, fixing and improving the provider portal and rethinking the organisation’s ways of working. ➱ continued on page 5