When you start at a new practice it can be useful to gather and understand information pertaining to your premises and your partnership. Here are some examples of helpful documents you may wish to know more about. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it includes some of the more common considerations.
Identify who your accountant is and your accounts year end. Introduce yourself and ask about the processes an timelines for the end of year accounts.
Identify whether your practice has a service agreement in place.
Check when the last service took place and diarise take not of when the next test is due?
Do you have sigh of these documents and know were completed, if they are filed, do you know where they are located, whether there are any supporting risk assessments and if this has been noted appropriately for the fire services.
Find out which authority charges for your business rates and the process by which they are reimbursed to you.
Identify when calibration last took place and take note of when the test is due. It can be helpful to keep a log of what equipment you have in each room so that you can ensure that nothing is missed.
Identify when the Audit was last completed and when the one test is due. It can be helpful to identify the person responsible and check all risks were resolved.
Collection notes for waste should be retained by each site and be demonstrable.
Find out whether the practice holds a GMS, PMS or APMS contract. Do you have sight of the contract?
Check the signatories up to date with the current partnership.
CQC registration is essential for general practice to legally provide regulated activities, ensuring compliance with health and social care standards. The Registered Manager plays a crucial role in overseeing day-to-day operations, maintaining quality and safety, and ensuring compliance with CQC regulations.
The Registered Manager is so important that if they are away from the practice for more than 28 days, they must formally notify CQC. For planned absences, notification should be provided at least 28 days before the absence begins. In cases of emergency absence, the notification must be submitted within 5 working days of the start of the absence. The notification should include details of the arrangements in place to manage the service and ensure continuity of care during the manager’s absence
Considering the above, it is always useful to check the Register, ensuring that all the details contained on the register, including the list of partners, are correct.
COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, and every practice will have a risk assessment and Management Plan for COSHH. Identify where these documents are located. It is useful to know when is the next assessment due and who has responsibility in the practice for COSHH.
Identify these documents and determine when the next assessment is due? Do you know who the responsible person is?
Do you have an up-to-date Partnership Deed in place?
Do you have sight of these documents? Find out when the next assessment is due, by whom and who the responsible person is at the practice.
Do you have sight of these documents? Find out when the next assessment is due, by whom and who the responsible person is at the practice.
5-year fixed wire testing, also known as an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), is a comprehensive safety check of a property’s electrical installation system and can include components like the fuse box, circuits, wiring, switches, sockets etc… Can you identify these documents and determine when the next assessment is due? Do you know who the responsible person is?
Check what contracts you have in place for services providers for heat, light, water, alarms, and gas. What contracts do you have in place, what are the account numbers and contract end dates, and do you have any routine checks for such things and the emergency lighting systems or annual checks for the boiler etc.
Do you have sight of these documents. Find out when the next assessment is due, by whom and who the responsible person is at the practice.
General practices must register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) because we process personal data, including patient information, which falls under the Data Protection Act 2018. This registration ensures compliance with data protection laws, safeguarding patient privacy, and data security. Your will be registered, but you must pay the annual ICO data protection fee to maintain your registration.
Do you have sight of these documents? Find out when the next assessment is due, by whom and who the responsible person is at the practice.
It is important to check that you have the right insurance packages in place, and that the terms cover the practice. It is useful to have your account number and contact details in an accessible place and understand what they all cover.
This will include (but is not limited to) things like Public Liability, Employer’s Liability Property and Contents Insurance, Business Interruption, Locum and Medical Defence Organisation (MDO) cover. So do Check that you have appropriate levels of cover for the unforeseen circumstances you may have identified in your Business Continuity Plans, such as fire or floods.
You will also have the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP) which provides comprehensive indemnity cover for clinical negligence liabilities arising from NHS patient care in general practice.
A Legionella Risk Assessment and Management Plan is designed to prevent the growth and spread of Legionella bacteria in water systems. Do you have sight of these documents, know when they were completed and when the next assessment is due? Have any areas of risk been mitigated and are regular checks carried out as outlined in your Management Plan?
If your premises has a lift, it is helpful to have sight of these documents and determine when the next assessment is due for H&S and insurance purposes. Do you know what to do if the lift breaks down?
If your practice plays music in public areas, such as waiting rooms, you will likely require a music licence. Licences are managed by organisations like Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) and the Performing Rights Society (PRS), which have combined to offer a single licence called TheMusicLicence.
It is worth checking whether your practice has a music licence and, if so, when that licence is next due.
PAT testing involves the examination of electrical appliances and equipment to ensure they are safe to use. Can you identify these documents and determine when the next assessment is due? Do you know who the responsible person is?
A CMR1 form is required to begin a rent review process. It helps determine the space that qualifies for NHS rent reimbursement within the practice. These reviews typically take place every three years.
Your practice should receive your form before your triennial review date. However, do not wait. If your review is due within 6 months and you have yet to be contacted, you should let your ICB know which will trigger the CMR1 form to be sent to you.
Do you have sight of these documents. Find out when the next clean is due, by whom.
Telephony contracts are usually in two parts; the lines and cost of calls and the equipment. Find out who your contract is with and check the terms, being mindful of when your contract is due to come to an end and when your buying out point is.
If you are re-negotiating your telephony there is an Advanced Telephony Better Purchasing Framework (BPf) that you can utilise.
It is helpful to identify who supplies your fresh water and wastewater and to be aware of what reimbursable costs are and what the costs are to the practice. You can see more about reimbursable costs here.