May 2026 Newsletter
Good Afternoon
May is shaping up to be a busy and insightful month, with a strong focus on CQC readiness running through our events programme.
We’re hosting a series of practical sessions to help you feel confident and prepared, including Deep Dives around CQC Responsive – Equity in Access and also CQC Registration and Notifications. Each session is designed to break down key areas of the framework and support you in strengthening compliance and day-to-day practice.
For our Pathfinder users, we’re also running an exclusive Pathfinder Live Session – Safe: Building a Strong Learning Culture and Ensuring Safe, Effective Care, focusing on one of the most important foundations of quality improvement.
Alongside our CQC-focused sessions, we’re pleased to welcome Aisha Malik from Clinical RX, who will be leading on our Medicines Management – Prescribing Policies and Templates Deep Dive. This session will provide practical guidance and resources to support safe and effective prescribing.
We look forward to supporting you throughout the month with these valuable learning opportunities.
As always at DKJ, if you have any questions or want to chat about anything, please get in touch with us any time!
May's Masterclass Spotlight
An Introduction to CQC
Thursday 14 May 09:00 – 10:00 |
This Masterclass is designed to help healthcare clinics – including GP practices, PCNs, and similar services – understand the role of the CQC and get ready for inspection. The session provides a clear introduction to the CQC, its key functions, and essential information to help you stay compliant.
Introduction to CQC
- Overview of the four core functions of the CQC
- What you need to know about CQC registration and how to check your compliance
- Understanding CQC’s enforcement powers and publication responsibilities
- Introduction to important Quality Statements and their relevance to your service
In-depth Inspection and Quality Statements
- Detailed look at the CQC Single Assessment Framework
- Deep dive into specific Quality Statements focusing on staff, teams, partnerships, and community engagement
- Practical advice to help you develop an action plan that improves compliance and prepares you for inspection
What you’ll learn:
- How teams share information and work together to plan, deliver, and coordinate care, including transitions, referrals, and discharges
- How to build strong partnerships with other organisations and communities to enhance services
- How to clearly demonstrate to the CQC that your service delivers seamless care through effective teamwork and collaboration
CQC to Begin New Reviews of Lower‑Risk GP Practices from March 2026: What You Need to Know
From March 2026, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will begin a new review programme for lower-risk GP practices that have not been inspected for several years. It aims to confirm that practices previously rated Good or Outstanding are still providing safe, effective and well-led care.
This marks a move towards more proactive contact, so practices should prepare now.
Who’s included?
NHS GP practices that are:
- Rated Good or Outstanding
- Last inspected between 2017 and 2022
- Considered lower risk, with no ongoing regulatory action
What to expect
Visits will focus on 10 non-clinical Quality Statements, particularly around safety, leadership and patient experience. Practices will receive five working days’ notice, and visits will be less intensive than a full inspection, though strong governance and compliance will still be required.
Key focus areas
Inspectors will look closely at:
- Learning culture, staffing, and infection control
- Assessing needs and delivering evidence-based care
- Fair access, patient experience, and engagement
- Leadership, governance, and sustainability
How DKJ can help
DKJ Support Services offers targeted support to help practices prepare. This includes reviewing key Quality Statements, checking documents and policies, identifying gaps, and providing a clear action plan. Practices also receive six months of helpdesk support to stay on track.
The aim is to help practices feel prepared, confident and compliant ahead of the new CQC reviews.
DKJ Chats May 2026
Work With Us
Are you looking for project work and have worked in health and social care?
We are pleased to be looking for more Associates to work on national projects and provide interim support to primary care and social care organisations.
If you have experience working in primary or social care, we would love to hear from you and have a chat with you about how you can support us with our growing portfolio of work in these sectors.
If you are interested, please drop us your CV or a short personal statement to our Operations Manager at claire@dkjsupportservices.co.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you 😊
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