Practices score highly in new accreditation scheme.(Royal College of General Practitioners)

Half of practices piloting an RCGP practice accreditation system that could be adopted by NHS regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) scored 90 per cent or above.

Nearly one in three (30 per cent) passed 100 per cent of the core criteria in the Primary Medical Care Provider Accreditation (PMCPA) pilot. The scheme to assess quality in non-clinical aspects of care was conducted over 15 weeks and involved 36 practices, of which 32 completed the pilot.

The scheme, led by the RCGP and the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre at the University of Manchester, has six areas of assessment (see box).

Practices self-assessed and provided …