https://club.hcqc.co.uk/c/self-audits/edit-lesson/sections/517639/lessons/2458878
Medical emergencies in general practice may be rare — but when they occur, response time and preparedness can be the difference between life and death.
While the CQC doesn’t expect general practices to function like emergency departments, they do expect you to be able to recognise and respond to urgent, life-threatening situations such as:
- Cardiac arrest
- Anaphylaxis
- Seizures
- Acute asthma attacks
- Hypoglycaemia
The Medical Emergencies and Emergency Drugs Readiness Audit helps ensure that your team is not just compliant on paper, but genuinely ready to act. It supports a culture of safety and governance by checking whether:
- Emergency drugs are present, in-date, and accessible
- Emergency equipment is functional and familiar to staff
- Staff have the skills, confidence, and clarity to respond
- Emergency protocols are visible, practiced, and reviewed
CQC Relevance
This audit supports several CQC ‘We’ statements, including:
- Safe environments – Ensuring emergency equipment is present and usable
- Safe systems and transitions – Having protocols and clarity on who does what
- Safe and effective staffing – Verifying that training is up to date and staff feel ready
- Governance and sustainability – Making sure systems are audited and roles are clear
Why It’s Important
Sometimes practices rely on assumptions: “Of course the defib works,” “The oxygen’s in the cupboard,” “Everyone’s had training.”
But audits like this shift your team from hoping you’re prepared… to knowing you are.
It also creates shared responsibility — empowering your team to speak up about gaps, escalate issues, and feel confident that safety is everyone’s business.
Click the link below to join our Inner Circle today for just £1 for your first month and unlock full access to every CQC audit — your essential toolkit to feel fully prepared and inspection ready! 👇
