Remote GP provider Doctor Care Anywhere has told Health & Protection it is keen to demonstrate the ‘substantial’ improvements it has made since being downgraded by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during its last inspection almost a year ago.
The firm said it was “confident and prepared” for the opportunity to demonstrate improvements made, but it has yet to be given a date for a follow-up inspection by the CQC.
The update comes after the CQC was severely criticised last week for a range of performance failings including significant delays in assessing or reassessing healthcare providers.
Rating downgrade
In October the CQC downgraded its rating for the firm, which provides services for Axa Health’s private medical insurance (PMI) customers, to requires improvement, following inspections in July and August 2023.
The regulator downgraded Doctor Care Anywhere in the areas of being safe and being well-led – raising concerns about how doctors were prescribing medication and about nurses not having the required competences.
At the time, Doctor Care Anywhere said: “Since the inspection we have put in place changes to our policies and procedures to reflect the feedback from the inspection and we continue to engage with the CQC to conclude the inspection process.”
And at the start of this year the CQC revealed it had rejected a request for a rating review from Doctor Care Anywhere, saying there was no case for the action.
CQC under fire
But at the end of last week, the CQC itself came under fire, with an independent review led by Dr Penny Dash finding inspection levels were still “well below” where they were pre-pandemic, a lack of clinical expertise among inspectors, a lack of consistency in assessments and problems with the CQC’s IT system.
However Dr Dash, who is also chairwoman of the North West London Integrated Care Board, found some organisations had not being inspected again for several years.
Her review found the oldest rating for an NHS hospital dated from more than 10 years ago and the oldest rating for a social care provider was from 2015.
When contacted by Health & Protection to enquire about where the provider was in the process of being inspected again, a spokesperson for the company said: “Doctor Care Anywhere respects the important role of the CQC in ensuring healthcare quality.
“We have implemented substantial improvements since our last inspection and are keen to demonstrate these advancements at the next opportunity.”