Part 2: The Real Cost of Recovery
When the CQC rates a practice “Inadequate,” you don’t receive a clear action plan.
You receive a long, often ambiguous list of what you didn’t do.
You’re left piecing together expectations, interpreting vague statements, and trying to reverse-engineer the standard you apparently failed to meet. It takes time — too much time — to establish what people are actually looking for you to do.
And while you’re doing that?
The meter is running.
Staff are anxious. Stakeholders are circling. Inspections loom. And the cost of “getting it wrong” again feels impossible to bear.
Let me show you what our journey of recovery looked like — not in theory, but in real numbers, real decisions, and real impact.
💸 The Numbers No One Talks About
To respond effectively, we had to redirect resources in every direction. We weren’t just patching holes — we were trying to rebuild trust, capacity, and morale while still delivering care.
Here’s what recovery looked like in numbers:
- Locum GP costs increased by 450% — from £43,922 to £241,737
To maintain access, cover for burnout, and backfill GPs pulled into remediation and stakeholder meetings. - Practice nurse locum costs rose by 121% to support IPC and care coordination.
- £17,300 spent on remote clinical pharmacists for medication reviews.
- 88% drop in insurance report fees due to the need to outsource them for timeliness.
- Loss of £8,908 from outsourcing contraceptive services — removing one of our GP Partners from this role to focus on governance.
- £34,701 in legal fees to navigate complex regulatory scrutiny and restructure risk.
- 227% increase in loan interest and charges from needing a new overdraft facility.
- Partners had to reintroduce £46,343 of drawings back into the business to keep it afloat.
🧠 The Human Cost
Burnout wasn’t a risk — it was a reality.
Our team worked harder than ever, under more pressure than ever, in an environment of scrutiny that often felt like suspicion.
Every missed target, every staff absence felt amplified. The emotional toll was cumulative — and corrosive.
🔁 The Catch-22 of CQC Recovery
To meet the CQC’s expectations, you need time and money. But a poor rating strips you of both.
We had to divert attention away from revenue-generating services. We had to cancel projects that would have improved patient care — because care now meant compliance.
Every “next step” was necessary. And every step came with a cost.
🧭 Where This Led
It led to a realisation: the system doesn’t prepare you for recovery. It assumes you’ll just figure it out.
So I did what I could.
- I documented everything.
- I built frameworks.
- I started supporting others walking the same painful path.
That became Harmony CQC — born not from strategy, but from survival.
In Part 3, I’ll share what I wish I knew before it all began — and how we’re now using Harmony CQC to help other practices recover faster, with less pain, and more peace of mind.