The CQC has announced plans to pilot of a new sector-specific inspection framework for general practice in 2026. The CQC’s chief inspector of primary care and community services, Professor Bola Owolabi, has said the plans mark a significant shift away from the CQC’s current regulatory single assessment framework towards a more tailored approach.
Professor Owolabi has said the new assessment model will reintroduce 'rating characteristics' and provide clearer descriptions of what 'good' or 'outstanding' looks like in general practice. She also said the model will place professional judgment and sector-specific expertise at the centre of inspections “affording colleagues the opportunity to demonstrate how, day-to-day, they are delivering that highest quality of care to their patients” in what are often challenging circumstances.
Patient demographics, deprivation levels and wider system pressures, including funding challenges, will also be reflected in the new assessment framework, although Professor Owolabi has confirmed that patients are entitled to expect high quality care wherever they live. She said:
“…the job of the CQC is to signpost practices to others who are struggling similarly so that we can all learn from one another and continue to push forward on that shared purpose of high-quality care for patients.”
Inspections of GP practices principally rely on the data held by the practice itself so the quality of the data captured, together with robust, validated audits, will be key to garnering insights into the care provided.
The CQC is currently considering responses to its consultation on plans to remodel inspections of health and care providers, which closed in December 2025, and is working with the Royal College of General Practitioners and other stakeholders to design the new GP sector-specific assessment framework. This will be tested with providers before moving to a full rollout.
It is hoped the new GP assessment framework will support improvements in care at specific GP practices whilst also delivering insights to the wider primary care provider sector, albeit the NHS is in state of significant flux at present which is likely to make implementation a challenge.
