How well practices are meeting the fundamental standards will be assessed against five key questions.

1. Are they safe?

This includes factors such as whether medicines are managed properly; whether people, such as those in need of safeguarding, are supported; and whether the practice learns from incidents.

2. Are they effective?

Checking that patients are given the right diagnosis and treatment and referred properly to specialist services when appropriate.

3. Are they caring?

Whether patients are treated with compassion, dignity and respect.

4. Are they responsive?

How the practice assesses and responds to patient needs including access to appointments and responding to patient feedback and how medical records are stored and shared.

5. Are they well led?

Does the practice support staff by providing training and supervision, and does it work effectively with other health and social care services?

Intelligent monitoring

Practices will be scrutinised on how they are performing using a range of information sources such as patient feedback on NHS Choices, complaints, screening uptake and concerns raised by staff. The data will be used as background for inspectors and to create priority bandings for future inspections.

Ratings

Practices will be rated outstanding, good, needs improvement, or inadequate, using evidence gathered during inspections, through intelligent monitoring and from sources such as Local Area Teams. Ratings are based on how well practices address the five questions above with reference to the service provided to six key patient groups, including vulnerable older people and those with long-term conditions.

CQC ratings must be displayed by law to comply with Regulation 20A of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

How will we be assessed?