• Doctor
  • GP practice

Archived: Civic Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

18 -20 Bethecar Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 1SE (020) 8427 9445

Provided and run by:
Dr Dilip Patel

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 24 January 2020

Civic Medical Centre is located at 18-20 Bethecar Road in Harrow, Middlesex. The practice premises comprise of two semi-detached residential properties, set over three floors. There is a ramp access as well as the reception, two waiting rooms, ten clinical rooms, one minor surgery room, with an additional administration room all located on the ground floor. The practice website can be found at www.civicmedicalcentre.com

The practice patient list is approximately 4,200 patients. The practice area is rated in the sixth most deprived decile of the national Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). People living in more deprived areas tend to have a greater need for health services. The practice has an ethnically diverse population and includes a higher than average proportion of working age and infant population and a lower proportion of patients aged over 65.

The practice is open between 8am and 6pm on Monday to Friday. Extended hours are offered between Tuesday and Thursday between 7am and 8am and Wednesday, between 7.45am and 8am. Outside of these hours, patients are redirected to their out of hours provider, Care UK.

The practice is a single-handed GP practice run by a male GP. The practice is supported by three female salaried GPs, one full-time nurse, one enhanced nurse practitioner who works seven hours a week and a Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) clinical pharmacist who works one day a week. Also employed are a newly-recruited full-time practice manager and three administrative staff who are also known as Healthcare Navigators (HCNs). The practice is a teaching practice supporting third and final year medical students from Imperial Medical School.

The practice operates under a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract and is commissioned by the Harrow CCG. The practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the regulated activities of diagnostic and screening procedures, treatment of disease, disorder or injury, surgical procedures; family planning and maternity and midwifery services.

The practice is signed up to a number of local and national enhanced services (enhanced services require an enhanced level of service provision above what is normally required under the core GP contract). These include childhood vaccination and immunisation scheme and extended hours access. Services provided also includes chronic disease management, minor surgery, phlebotomy, smoking cessation and ECG monitoring.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 24 January 2020

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Civic Medical Centre on 22 June 2018. The overall rating for the practice was good, with a rating of requires improvement in the safe key question. The full comprehensive report on the June 2018 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Civic Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was a focused inspection carried out on 17 December 2019 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 22 June 2018. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall, the practice is rated as Good.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • The practice had acted on the risk assessment recommended areas. They had installed an automated fire alarm following the fire risk assessment recommended areas for improvement.
  • The practice had recently been approved for building redevelopment works funding due to commence in January 2020. This would include installation of an alarm pull cord in the patient toilets.
  • The practice had ensured all risk assessment action plans were documented.
  • The practice had updated the DBS certificate for the Enhanced Nurse Practitioner that reflects the current registered body.
  • Induction records were maintained for staff.
  • The practice carried out regular prescribing audits.
  • Action was taken to improve patient satisfaction with GP consultations.
  • Patient complaints information contained details of how to escalate complaints.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

  • Take action to install a pull cord alarm in the patient toilet when the building redevelopment works are carried out.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care