CQC medicines management support for GP practices
CQC medicines management support for GP practices
What the service covers
Our CQC medicines management support runs the medicines-safety searches across your registered list and then does the clinical work behind them. Our clinical team reviews every flagged patient individually inside your own clinical system, takes the action that patient needs and codes it on the record as it is done. You receive a concise patient-safety summary of the searches run, patients reviewed, actions completed and matters referred to your GPs.
CQC looks at how GP practices manage medicines, and its clinical searches cover areas such as high-risk drug monitoring, safety alerts and medication reviews. What an inspector sees is the patient record. That is where our work goes.
- Building and running the medicines-safety search set across your whole registered list
- High-risk drug monitoring, checked and actioned patient by patient
- MHRA safety alerts worked through individually, including alerts that were read but never actioned
- Overdue medication reviews for patients on high-risk or multiple medicines
- Outstanding medicines tasks, such as unreconciled discharge and clinic letters
- A patient-safety summary for your practice, setting out what was run, reviewed, actioned and referred
- An ongoing medicines-safety programme after the first pass, if you want one
Who does the work
The searches are worked by our clinical team: more than 100 GPhC-registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working under one clinical governance framework. 85% of the pharmacists are independent prescribers, so many actions can be completed within their competence and coded straight away.
Technicians build and run searches and prepare the patient lists. Pharmacists carry out the clinical reviews. Escalation routes to your GPs are agreed with you before the work starts.
How it works day to day
- You tell us your priorities and any date already set. We agree the scope, the protocol and the escalation route with your clinical lead.
- Our team builds and runs the searches remotely in EMIS, SystmOne, Vision or Medicus.
- We work the highest-risk patients first: high-risk medicines without recent monitoring, then outstanding safety alerts.
- Each flagged patient is reviewed individually by a pharmacist, and every action is coded on the record at the time.
- Anything that needs a GP goes through the agreed route, with the reason recorded.
- You receive the patient-safety summary, and a plan for repeating searches and following up outstanding actions if you choose to continue.
A managed service, not extra headcount
You commission a defined piece of medicines-safety work, and we deliver it under our own clinical governance. The search method, the clinical supervision, the quality checks and the cover all sit with us, so the work keeps its pace when time is short. Your practice keeps its own CQC relationship, its own evidence and every decision that needs a GP.
We deliver the clinical work on the record. We do not sell mock inspections or evidence packs, because neither changes what is in the patient record.
What our clinical team has delivered
- Three practices in Northamptonshire commissioned medicines-safety search work to support their inspection preparation. The work was recorded in each practice’s clinical system.
- One of those practices went on to commission a rolling medicines-safety programme, with over 400 hours of delivered work, and a multi-year technician service.
- A practice of around 6,000 patients handed over its medicines-related QOF work in August. One governed pathway supported around 26 indicators, with registers worked across the year.
We have supported 375+ GP practices and 88+ PCNs across 23 ICB areas and all seven NHS regions. Every inspection outcome belongs to the practice. What we can show you is the method and the work, and a reference call with a practice that used it. Read the case studies.
Governance and data security
Virtual Pharmacist meets the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit standards for 2025-26, holds Cyber Essentials certification and is registered with the ICO (ZB127110). All work is done inside your own clinical system through secure, NHS-approved access. Read our clinical governance and data security framework.
Virtual Pharmacist won the Pharmacy Solutions Provider award at the General Practice Awards.
Related services and reading
Reduces and works through backlogs
Including overdue medication reviews, clinic letters and medicines-related tasks.
Highlights medicines-related risks
Identifying potential concerns for clinical review, action and escalation.
Clinical work coded on the record
Every flagged patient reviewed and actioned in your own system, with a concise summary of the searches run.
Prioritises high-risk patient safety
Focusing immediate attention from backlogs on high-risk medicines and patient safety impacts.
Relieves pressure during preparation
We remotely prepare these searches and outputs, allowing practice staff to focus on daily patient care.
Supports practices throughout
Working through the searches with your team until every flagged patient has been reviewed.
“The team is consistently reliable. Phones are always answered and emails come back the same day. It’s made a real difference to how we run our medication reviews.”
“Fast email replies and clinical input whenever we need it. They picked up our medicines work seamlessly and delivered from day one.”
“Excellent service from start to finish. Easy to reach, quick to reply, and they clearly know NHS workflows inside out. We couldn’t recommend the team more highly.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is CQC medicines management support?
It is clinical work that checks and improves how a GP practice manages medicines on the patient record. With Virtual Pharmacist, our clinical team runs the medicines-safety searches, reviews each flagged patient and codes every action in your system.
What are CQC searches?
CQC uses clinical searches to identify records for further assessment, including high-risk medicines monitoring and other potential safety concerns. Practices should check which current search set is available for their system; locally developed or equivalent searches are not automatically the same as CQC’s published set.
Can you help if our inspection date is already set?
We can discuss the work needed and the available capacity against your inspection date. Scope and timescales are agreed after reviewing the practice’s priorities and outstanding actions.
Do you guarantee a CQC rating?
A rating is CQC's decision about your whole practice, so no provider can promise one. We deliver the medicines work on the record and a summary of what was done, which may support your practice's own evidence.
How does CQC view a practice working through a backlog?
Working through a backlog in order of clinical risk shows that the practice has found its pressures and acted on them. We prioritise high-risk medicines and vulnerable patients first, and every action leaves a clear audit trail on the record.
Do you produce a report?
Yes. You receive a concise patient-safety summary of the searches run, patients reviewed, actions completed and matters referred to your GPs.
Can the work continue after the first pass?
An ongoing medicines-safety programme can repeat searches, review new findings and follow up outstanding actions. One of the Northamptonshire practices commissioned continuing support.
Can a PCN commission this for several practices?
Yes. A network can run one search method across its member practices, with a summary for each practice. See PCN pharmacist services.
