The Care Standards Act
The Care Standards Act sets stringent rules which govern the recognition and regulations of all independent hospitals and all other facilities. The role of the Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), which is a group of consultants appointed in each hospital to advise management on clinical issues, will be fundamental to this.
The responsibilities and duties of the MAC and its Chairman have already been very well defined by all independent hospital groups. As part of their responsibilities the MAC must ensure that only specialists with appropriate qualifications are given admission rights and that all clinical work is carefully monitored and audited. Clinical governance committees and lead clinicians in audit will be necessary.
The minimum data set of information as required by the Care Standards Act is listed below but many private hospitals go much further than this in their audit procedure.
FIPO strongly supports this and is planning to carry out national reviews from its member organisations to compare and contrast these audit results.
Acute Hospitals - Independent Health Care
Human Resources
Qualification of All Medical Practitioners
OUTCOME
Patients receive investigation and treatment from appropriately
trained, qualified and insured medical practitioners.
STANDARD A3
A3.1 | All medical practitioners (i.e. including medical practitioners undertaking independent private practice whether employed, contracted or self-employed providing health screening or resident medical officer services on behalf of and as part of the hospital) are registered with the General Medical Council as medical practitioners. |
A3.2 | All medical practitioners have annual appraisals and are revalidated and in line with GMC requirements. |
A3.3 | All medical practitioners are covered by appropriate professional indemnity insurance either as specifically identified employees of the hospital or as members of a medical defence organization approved by the hospital and its insurers. |
A3.4 |
All medical practitioners provide the registered person with, and make available to the National Care Standards Commission, the following clinical and performance indicators about any patient they have treated:
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Qualifications and Experience of Medical Practitioners Undertaking Independent Private Practice (i.e. without supervision, commonly known as "Consultants")
OUTCOME
Medical practitioners who work independently in private practice
are competent in the procedures they undertake and the treatment
and hospital services they provide.
STANDARD A4
A4.1 |
Medical practitioners who work independently in private practice:
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A4.2 |
Medical practitioners who work independently in private practice (except GPs):
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A4.3 | Medical practitioners undertaking cosmetic surgery independently in private practice for the first time from 1 April 2002 are on the specialist register of the General Medical Council. |
Practising Privileges and the Medical Advisory Committee
OUTCOME
Patients receive treatment from medical practitioners who have the
appropriate expertise.
STANDARD 5
A5.1 | Where medical practitioners are granted practising privileges there is a medical advisory committee for the hospital, which is responsible for representing the professional needs and views of medical practitioner to the registered manager of the hospital. |
A5.2 | The medical advisory committee meets quarterly as a minimum and formal minutes are kept of meetings. |
A5.3 |
The medical advisory committee makes recommendations to the registered manager on:
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A5.4 |
The medical advisory committee reviews twice per year as a minimum, information collated on the clinical work undertaken at the hospital by all practitioners with practising privileges by specialty, procedure and by clinical responsibility, to include as a minimum:
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