A new assessment programme from the CQC started in March 2026 and will target so-called "lower risk practice" who are good or outstanding and were last inspected between 2017 and 2022. FPM explains how this works.

Recruitment, while essential, is one of the most time‑intensive and complex processes a GP practice undertakes. From drafting job descriptions to managing interviews and responding to candidates, recruitment quietly absorbs nearly a full working week of senior clinical and managerial time. This is where the FPM Recruitment Service makes a measurable difference.

Thornfield's "Updating your HR Skills" course has never been more important, and with all of the recent legislation changes that are coming into force, now is the best time to upskill your staff. 

The 2026/27 PCN DES introduces one of the most significant shifts since ARRS began. While most headlines have focused on GP reimbursement uplifts and neighbourhood alignment, the real change is the clearer and more flexible route for practices to consider directly employing ARRS staff.

We’re delighted to announce the updated version of our Directory of Biographies and Skillsets for Thornfields Associates.

FPM members can access a comprehensive selection of policies, templates and toolkits on our flagship FPM Core software.

The language of “Neighbourhood Health Hubs” is everywhere right now. Integrated teams. Shared services. Care closer to home. A seamless system wrapped around a population of 30,000–50,000 people. On paper, it sounds transformative. In practice, many working in primary care are asking a more uncomfortable question:How can neighbourhood hubs work when the buildings, workforce, and infrastructure simply aren’t ready?

On March 25th, the CQC gave an official response to the 1,700 responses that providers had given in their 'Better Regulation, Better Care' consultation, which closed in December 2025. They are proposing to return to some measures which had previously been used by the CQC but had been abandoned in favour of the Single Assessment Framework. Share your views through the CQC's online survey by 12 June.

In this monthly report, FPM looks in detail at what the CQC have publicly reported from their GP practice inspections during March 2026, all anonymised. We highlight some of the behaviours that won practices Outstanding ratings, and the reasons some practices were scored Requires Improvement, or Inadequate. Do you recognise any of the observations the CQC picked up, either good or bad?

Every few weeks the NHS produces a fresh set of headlines — some hopeful, some troubling, and many that reveal the quiet, complicated reality of a system that millions rely on every day. Looking across the last three weeks, a pattern emerges: progress is being made, but it is happening against a backdrop of strain, scrutiny, and deep human impact.