DOCTORS' surgeries across Barnsley are to be inspected for the first time as part of a new regime to bring them into line with other health organisations.
Almost half of surgeries in Barnsley - 16 in total - will be selected at random for inspection by the Care Quality Commission and will be notified on Monday.
A spokesman for the Care Quality Commission said the inspections were routine and there had been no concerns or complaints raised about surgeries in Barnsley.
The spokesman added: "It is usual to do that many surgeries at once - because they are smaller, the inspectors can go to one area and do a large number in one fell swoop.
"We have only just started inspecting GPs' surgeries - they just weren't inspected before. We do it for hospitals, care homes, mental health trusts, ambulance services and other health organisations, so why should doctors surgeries be any different?"
The inspections are part of a new regime and the surgeries will have to meet the same criteria which is set for hospitals and care homes.
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated November 14. **
