Dr Eugenia Lee, from south-east London, said: ‘It’s not that bad. It found gaps. The people involved haven’t been overstretched.
‘The feedback’s been quite positive. It hasn’t been a punishment, although I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s been a joy to do.’
Out-of-hours providers must register with the CQC by April 2012. The deadline for practices in England has been extended to April 2013.
Lincoln GP Dr Phil Williams said: ‘A lot of us are quite stressed by the deadline. We are hearing estimates that it involves 600 hours of work.’
Professor David Haslam, GP adviser to the CQC, said: ‘I’ve heard this 600 hours figure, I’ve no idea where it comes from.
‘My message is: ‘don’t panic’. The vast majority of practices really care about what they do and have very little to be worried about by CQC registration.’
Professor Haslam described it as being similar to basic hygiene standards for restaurants.
