Complaining calls have doubled
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have received double the amount of complaints from whistleblowers, speaking out about standards in general practice.
The calls from nurses, practice managers and GP’s have increased from 12 in November to 24 in December according to official figures.
Revealing problems
Steve Field, the chief inspector of general practice at the CQC told the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s annual conference “You are likely to lose your job if you are a nurse in a single-handed practice and you speak out about your concerns, so when we contact surgeries we do try to retain the person’s anonymity where we can but it is very difficult for us sometimes.”
A CQC spokesperson added “Since we began regulation of GP practices in April 2013 there has been an increasing number of whistleblowing calls to the dedicated CQC helpline. One reason for this gradual rise in numbers could be due to the increased exposure of the CQC and it’s job as regulator of the sector.”