Penalties for under-resourced doctor concerns

GP practices rated outstanding or good by the CQC (Care Quality Commission) have benefited from more funding than those deemed inadequate or requiring improvement, the BMA can reveal. A report released today highlights the pattern between practices with higher average funding per patient and better inspection ratings — raising concerns that under-resourced doctors are being penalised. The report calls for fairer funding across the country and appeals to the Government and NHS England to ensure all practices are given at least the same funding as the average practice rated outstanding. ‘This analysis shows there is a clear link between the amount of funding a GP practice receives and the rating it is allocated by the CQC,’ BMA GPs committee chair Chaand Nagpaul says. ‘Despite this, the CQC takes no account of resources available to a GP practice when it grades its care, even if this leads to GPs and their staff being publically shamed with an “inadequate” or “needs improvement” rating.’   Cost comparison The new report examined the amount of funding each GP practice in England received per patient and cross referenced this with the recent ratings given to the GP practices by the CQC. GP practices receiving an 'outstanding' or 'good' rating from the CQC received £152 and £140 per patient in funding respectively. But GP practices that scored the lowest rating — 'inadequate' — in contrast on aver...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news