Do You Need CQC Registration If You Have Practice Privileges?
Whether you need CQC (Care Quality Commission) registration as a provider when you have practice privileges depends on the nature of your work and your contractual arrangements. Here’s an outline to help you determine your requirements:
1. What Are Practice Privileges?
- Practice privileges typically allow you to provide services within a healthcare setting (e.g., a hospital or clinic) without being employed by the organization. In this arrangement, you operate under the governance and policies of the healthcare provider where you have privileges.
2. Do You Need CQC Registration?
You require CQC registration if you:
- Provide a regulated activity as defined under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
- Are responsible for the delivery of the service to patients (e.g., independent clinics, GP surgeries).
3. Key Considerations – Accountability, Responsibility, and Indemnity
- Are You Acting as the “Provider”?
- If the organization granting you practice privileges is registered with the CQC and assumes responsibility for regulated activities, you may not need separate registration.
- Are You Delivering Independent Services?
- If you provide regulated activities independently (e.g., outside the scope of the organization’s governance), you likely need CQC registration.
- Scope of Services:
- If your work involves regulated activities such as treatment of disease, surgical procedures, or diagnostic services directly to patients, registration might be required.
4. Examples
- No Registration Required: A surgeon with practice privileges at a private hospital who performs surgeries under the hospital’s governance and CQC profile.
- Registration Required: An independent practitioner providing regulated services (e.g., consultations, treatments) outside the umbrella of a CQC-registered provider and seeing those patients privately.
5. How We Can Help
