OUR FLAGSHIP REVIEW FOR INDEPENDENT PROVIDERS
Governance of Medical Practice Review
An independent review of how well your organisation meets its legal duties and national standards for medical practice, with a clear, prioritised plan to strengthen the framework through which you deliver safe care.
AT A GLANCE
Who it is for
Private hospitals, clinics and independent providers employing or engaging doctors
What you receive
Written report, gap analysis, prioritised action plan and board summary
Typical length
4 to 8 weeks, scaled to your organisation
Led by
Dr Lorcan Sheppard, with Puja Sharma and Sarah Charlton
Why governance of medical practice matters
Good governance of medical practice is a cornerstone of safe, high-quality care. The CQC, GMC, NHS England and other bodies all expect independent providers to have a robust framework in place.
With so many stakeholders involved, it can be hard to be sure you have the right systems, and the right people, to meet both your statutory duties and national guidelines. Our review gives you an independent, expert view of where you stand.
Questions the review will answer
Is your patients' personal data processed lawfully, and how well do your doctors comply?
Are GMC guidelines part of your quality assurance processes?
How does your governance of medical practice measure up to the Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework?
Do your doctors address consultation letters to patients or to their GP?
What the review covers
We look at five areas. Every review is scoped to your organisation, so you can focus on the areas that matter most to you.
01
Statutory requirements
We measure your current practice against the legal requirements in all relevant legislation, including:
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CQC Regulations for providers and managers relevant to medical practice
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The Responsible Officer Regulations
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PHIN compliance
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How patients' personal data is processed by doctors and providers
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Recruitment and onboarding, including overseas doctors
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Relevant HR legislation
02
National Guidelines
We examine how your doctors currently deliver care and identify improvements against national guidance, including:
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GMC guidance, including Good Medical Practice
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Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) recommendations
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Recommendations from the Paterson Inquiry
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Speciality association guidelines
03
Supporting Doctors and Patients
We look at the systems you have to support both patients and doctors, especially when things go wrong:
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Responding to concerns about doctors, including conduct and capability investigations
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Appraisal and revalidation, including quality assurance and avoiding conflicts of interest
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Concerns and complaints management and learning from patient safety events
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Consent, in line with GMC guidance and recent case law
04
Practising privileges and employed doctors
We advise on how you engage doctors, based on your organisation's needs and the legal implications of each model.
05
Additional Support
Alongside the review, or on its own, we can help with:
✓ Preparing for inspection and review visits
✓ Witness statements for the GMC and the courts
✓ Dealing with the police and Coroners
✓ What new legal judgements mean for you
✓ Putting GIRFT principles into practice
✓ Social media use by doctors
✓ Information governance policy review
The standards we review against include
CQC Regulations
GMC Good Medical Practice
Paterson Inquiry
Responsible Officer Regulations
ISCAS Code of Practice
PHIN
GIRFT
How the review works
1
Discovery Call
A 30-minute conversation about your organisation, your concerns and what the review should cover.
2
Interviews & Sampling
We speak to key people and look at real cases to see how your policies work in practice.
3
Document & Policy Review
We review your policies, governance framework and records against each relevant standard.
4
Report & Action Plan
You receive our findings, a prioritised plan and a summary for your board. We can stay on to help you deliver it.
What you recieve
✓ A written report benchmarked against each framework
✓ A RAG-rated gap analysis
✓ A board-level summary
✓ A prioritised action plan
✓ Optional support to put the plan into practice
WHO LEADS THE REVIEW
Dr Lorcan Sheppard
Special Adviser
Dr Sheppard is a former NHS Consultant who has spent over 10 years as a Chief Medical Officer in independent healthcare, with executive leadership experience in clinical governance. He has a proven track record in the safe delivery of care, managing complex risk and leading quality improvement.
