DBX ONE STOCKROOM · CQC
CQC wants the system behind the check.
CQC significantly updated its GP emergency-care guidance in February 2026. The question is no longer just whether somebody checks the cupboard. It is whether the checking system is reliable, repeatable and can be evidenced.
Park Lane Surgery · CQC Safe assessment
CQC found expired syringes,
blood bottles and needles.
CQC found out-of-date consumables in two rooms and said "effective systems were not in place" for checking their expiry dates.
CQC inspection finding · Park Lane Surgery“Effective systems were not in place for checking the expiry dates of consumables.”
CQC GP Mythbuster 34 · out-of-date equipment“Out-of-date equipment could include needles, syringes, and defibrillator pads.”
“Our inspectors regard out-of-date equipment with the same significance as out-of-date medicines.”
CQC GP Mythbuster 1 · resuscitation equipment“a reliable system to check and replace equipment that follows the manufacturer’s instructions”
This quote is specifically within CQC’s resuscitation-equipment guidance.
How STOCKROOM closes the gap
- Track multiple expiry lots by item and location
- Expiring stock emailed to you months in advance
- Recommends earliest expiring stock first
St Georges Medical Centre + Stopsley Village Practice
Why your expiry date tracking
is not good enough.
At St Georges, staff told CQC they regularly checked stock and expiry dates, but CQC found no records demonstrating the checks. They said the practice could not provide assurance that monitoring was consistent. At Stopsley, CQC said check records could have showed what was checked, whether it was satisfactory and how many of each item were available.
CQC inspection finding · St Georges Medical Centre“there were no records to demonstrate that regular checks of emergency medicines were being carried out.”
CQC inspection finding · Stopsley Village Practice“To show what checks had been made and whether they were satisfactory.”
“To record how many of each item or medicine were available.”
How STOCKROOM closes the gap
The stock round creates the record as part of the job: signed-in user, date and time, room, physical quantity, exceptions and the follow-up activity.
CQC GP Mythbuster 1 · updated 25 February 2026
“A reliable system to check
and replace equipment.”
That is CQC’s current advice for GP emergency-care equipment. The Resuscitation Council standard cited by CQC says the checking and replacement process should be assigned to named individuals.
How STOCKROOM closes the gap
- Full and Quick rounds make the check repeatable
- Users who make changes are recorded
- Last verification and shortages stay visible
Attenborough Surgery + Essex Lodge · Regulation 12 requirement notices
Expired consumables lead to Regulation 12 breaches.
In both reports, CQC recorded the findings in Regulation 12 requirement notices.
CQC requirement notice · Attenborough Surgery“Some medical consumables at one surgery were beyond their expiry dates.”
CQC recorded the wider failure to monitor medical-consumable expiry as a breach of Regulation 12(1).
CQC requirement notice · Essex Lodge“There was no system to check emergency medicines or pulse oximeter in the emergency kit and emergency use needles and syringes were out of date.”
CQC recorded this within a Regulation 12(1) breach.
How STOCKROOM closes the gap
- Expiry dates are attached to the stock record instead of a separate memory or spreadsheet
- Upcoming expiry can be surfaced before the item reaches the date
- The practice can see quantities and expiry lots together
Regulations 12 & 15 + Eastgate Surgery · report published 21 August 2026
"There must be sufficient equipment to provide the service"
Eastgate had systems for emergency medicines, oxygen and its defibrillator. CQC found no system to make sure other emergency consumables and sundry items were available and safe. Regulation 12 requires sufficient quantities of supplied equipment to keep people safe and meet their needs; Regulation 15 says there must be sufficient equipment to provide the service.
CQC inspection finding · Eastgate Surgery · 21 August 2026“systems for making sure other emergency equipment such as consumables and sundry items were available and safe for use were not in place”
Regulation 12 · CQC guidance“Sufficient equipment and/or medical devices that are necessary to meet people's needs should be available at all times”
Regulation 15 · CQC guidance“There must be sufficient equipment to provide the service.”
How STOCKROOM closes the gap
- Everyone can see the stock in every room
- Critical and empty states stand out immediately
- STOCKROOM calculates what each room needs - no mental maths
Regulation 17 · good governance, assurance and audit
“Systems or processes must be
established and operated effectively.”
Regulation 17 requires effective governance, assurance and auditing systems. CQC says management records may include audits and reviews, purchasing and action plans in response to risk. Its assessment framework also looks at “processes” — the steps and arrangements a provider actually uses to deliver safe care.
How STOCKROOM closes the gap
- Checks are tied to the signed-in user, room and time
- Stock movements and replenishment stay in activity history
- Shortages remain visible until somebody acts
Scope
Useful evidence.
Not a compliance certificate.
STOCKROOM is designed to help GP practices operate and evidence the stock-control processes it actually covers. It does not replace SOPs, clinical judgement, cold-chain monitoring, equipment servicing or calibration, controlled-drug registers or other specialist controls.
CQC does not certify or endorse DBX ONE, and software cannot guarantee compliance or a rating.