2026 is a year of change for general practice at the CQC — a new, GP-specific inspection framework is being piloted and rolled out. If that sounds unsettling, here's the reassuring part: the foundations don't move. The five key questions stay, evidence still wins, and the practices that keep their house in order all year sail through whichever framework applies. Here's what's changing, what isn't, and what to do now.
- CQC is piloting a sector-specific framework for general practice — new assessment frameworks are due to be published in summer 2026, with implementation from the end of 2026.
- The five key questions — Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led — remain.
- Primary care is moving toward a refined set of quality statements (around 18 advocated for GP), with "rating characteristics" returning to describe what good and outstanding look like.
- Which framework applies depends on when you're inspected — there's a transition through 2026.
Do GP practices need CQC registration?
Yes. A GP practice carries out regulated activities and must be registered with the CQC, with a registered provider and registered manager in place. Registration is the licence to operate — the framework below is how CQC then assesses how well you run.
What's changing in 2026 — the GP-specific framework
CQC is replacing its one-size Single Assessment Framework with sector-specific frameworks, and general practice is one of the first to get its own. As part of its "better regulation, better care" work, CQC plans to publish the new frameworks in summer 2026, supported by sector-specific guidance, with implementation beginning at the end of 2026. The new model puts professional judgment and primary-care expertise back at the centre of inspection and reintroduces rating characteristics — clearer descriptions of what "good" and "outstanding" actually look like in a GP practice.
The transition rule — which framework applies to you
This is the practical bit. If your inspection is scheduled before the new framework is implemented (likely before autumn 2026), you'll be assessed under the current Single Assessment Framework and quality statements. If your inspection falls during or after the transition, the sector-specific GP framework will apply. The safe approach: don't bet on a date — keep your evidence current so you're ready under either.
What stays the same — the five key questions
Whatever the framework wording becomes, every assessment still asks whether your practice is Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. If your evidence maps cleanly to those five, the change in quality statements is a re-labelling exercise, not a cliff edge.
Where GP practices are judged hardest
- Safe — safe prescribing and medicines management, infection prevention & control, safeguarding (adults & children), recruitment and DBS, significant-event handling.
- Effective — clinical audit with a closed loop, monitoring of long-term conditions, training and appraisal.
- Well-led — clear governance, a live risk register, complaints learning, and leaders who can show they know their practice through data.
As always, the difference between a calm inspection and a painful one is retrieval speed — can you produce the policy, the last audit and the training record in minutes?
A simple plan to get ready
Start by knowing where you stand: our free 2-minute GP practice self-check scores you against the five key questions and shows your gaps instantly. Then keep your policies current and regulation-referenced (our own-forever document suites are built for this), keep audit and significant-event logs live, and rehearse with a mock inspection so a date change never catches you out.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Single Assessment Framework being scrapped for GPs?
It's being replaced by a sector-specific general-practice framework, phased in from the end of 2026. The five key questions remain the backbone throughout.
Which framework will I be inspected under?
It depends on your inspection date. Before implementation (likely before autumn 2026) it's the current SAF; during or after the transition it's the new GP framework. Stay ready for either.
What are "rating characteristics"?
Clearer descriptions of what good and outstanding look like in general practice — reintroduced under the new model to make judgements more transparent.
What should I prioritise now?
Run the free self-check, then shore up Safe (prescribing, IPC, safeguarding) and Well-led governance — the areas that carry the most weight whatever the framework.