This innovative project utilised the perceived threat by practices of an impending CQC inspection as a way of increasing engagement between practices and the CCG medicines management team to improve the standard of medicines safety within the practice and improve patient outcomes.
The proactive approach, by providing multi-faceted support in advance of a CQC inspection and not reactive to an inadequate rating, benefited the GP practices, the CCG, and ultimately patient safety and care.
It is envisaged that the CQC inspection, often seen by practices as a hurdle to overcome, will become an opportunity for practices to demonstrate a high standard of medicines optimisation and safety.
The project is easily reproducible in other CCGs, with the attached resources (presentations, 'Keeping Tabs' newsletter, webinar on intranet, Quality Improvement Scheme (QIS), detail aids, management plans, audit templates, supporting information with links to additional resources) available. The practice medicines manager training could easily be incorporated into an existing on-line education programme including the PrescQIPP staff training module.
