The Care Quality Commission
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  • GP practice

Medlock Medical Practice Dr Hossain & Dr Chauhan

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

Failsworth District Centre, Ashton Road West, Failsworth, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M35 0AD (0161) 357 1610

Provided and run by:
Medlock Medical Practice Dr Hossain & Dr Chauhan

All Inspections

13 September 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Medlock Medical Practice Dr Hossain and Dr Chauhan on 13 September 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as requires improvement, with the following key question ratings:

Safe - requires improvement

Effective - good

Caring - good

Responsive - requires improvement

Well-led - requires improvement

Following our previous inspection on 6 March 2017, the practice was rated good overall and for all key questions.

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Medlock Medical Practice Dr Hossain and Dr Chauhan on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

We carried out this inspection in line with our inspection priorities. We included all the key questions.

How we carried out the inspection/review

This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site.

This included:

  • Conducting staff interviews using video conferencing.
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system (this was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements).
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider.
  • Requesting evidence from the provider.
  • A short site visit.

Our findings

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We rated the practice requires improvement for providing safe services:

  • Medicine reviews were completed without patient involvement and without all the required checks being carried out.
  • The system for learning and making improvements when things went wrong was not effective.
  • Feedback from staff included that clinicians did not always have the equipment they required.

We rated the practice good for providing effective services:

  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.

We rated the practice good for providing caring services:

  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.

We rated the practice requires improvement for providing responsive services:

  • Complaints were not used to improve the quality of care.

We rated the practice requires improvement for providing well-led services:

  • Leaders could not demonstrate they had the capacity to deliver high quality care.
  • We saw examples of policies being inaccurate and not being followed.
  • We saw examples of systems and processes that were not effective, including the process to manage significant events and complaints.

We found two breaches of regulations. The provider must:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

In addition, the provider should:

  • Work towards improving levels of cervical screening.
  • Review privacy arrangements for patients in the reception area.

We found an area of outstanding practice:

  • The practice had 200 asylum seekers registered at the practice who lived a distance away in a hotel. To accommodate their specific needs, they had a weekly surgery at the accommodation where a clinical pharmacist who spoke several languages attended. We were provided us with examples of how this approach had a positive impact on patients.

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

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services

6 March 2017

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This is a focused inspection of Medlock Medical Practice Dr Hossain & Dr Chauhan for one area within the key question safe.

We found the practice to be good in providing safe services. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

The practice was previously inspected on 15 December 2015. The inspection was a comprehensive inspection under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. At that inspection, the practice was rated good overall. However, within the key question safe, one area was identified as requiring improvement, as the practice was not meeting the legislation at that time:

Regulation 17 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Good governance. We found the registered person did not mitigate risks to patients due to having equipment stored in an unlocked room. Patient information was not always kept securely as this was also kept in an unlocked room accessible to patients. This was in breach of Regulation 17(1)(2)(b)(c) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (RA) Regulations 2014

During the inspection on 6 March 2017 we were provided with evidence which demonstrated Medlock Medical Practice Dr Hossain & Dr Chauhan are now meeting the requirements of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

During this focused inspection the practice also provided evidence of other improvements following the previous inspection, for example:

  • The practice is provided with information to ensure the communal defibrillator is in working order. The practice has oxygen in place and systems were in place to check this was ready to use.
  • The provider revisited their fire risk assessment and provided evidence they had procedures in place to ensure the safe evacuation of patients from the first floor where the practice is located.
  • We saw a new system was in place to log prescriptions and ensure they are kept securely.
  • There was a series of clinical protocols in place and these had been reviewed to ensure they were in line with current guidance. The practice plan to monitor use of clinical protocols in the future by auditing consultations.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

15/12/2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Medlock Medical Practice Dr Hossain & Dr Chauhan on 15 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • Risks to patients were usually assessed and well managed.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • Patients said they usually found it easy to make an appointment there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

We saw three areas of outstanding practice:

  • The practice made ‘comfort calls’ to vulnerable patients every six weeks. These were to make sure patients had enough medicine and to ask about their wellbeing. Where it was thought a patient was struggling, for example if they were unable to get their shopping, they were referred to an appropriate support group.

  • The practice had organised four Christmas parties for their patients over the age of 70. They specifically invited patients who they did not often see as a way of keeping in touch with them and informally seeing how they were.

  • Where it was thought the practice might need to be contacted urgently, for example when a patient was receiving end of life care, a separate telephone number was provided so the main switchboard could be by-passed. District nurses and Macmillan nurses could also use this telephone line.

There were two areas where the provider must make improvements:

  • The provider must ensure stocks of equipment such as needles are kept securely.

  • All patient information must be kept in a secure place.

There were also areas where the provider should make improvements:

  • The provider should put a system in place to check the oxygen and defibrillator, kept in other parts of the building, are in place and ready for use.

  • The provider should revisit their fire risk assessment and document the procedure to follow when evacuating patients in the event of a fire.

  • The provider should put a system in place to log prescription serial numbers in order to check they have been kept securely.

  • The provider should put a series of clinical protocols in place so they can be assured all GPs follow the same procedure.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

21, 27 November 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection we spoke with a doctor, the practice manager, a secretary, a receptionist and two patients. Some of the personnel records were held at one of the doctor's other practices and were not available on the day of the inspection. We therefore inspected these on another day.

Patients told us they were given enough privacy during their visits to the practice. They said they were treated respectfully and the doctors always gave them enough time during their appointments. Their comments included 'Staff are really helpful. They all know everyone', 'Today is the first time I've asked for a same day appointment and I got it' and 'I can honestly say [my doctor] has never let me down'.

We saw that all areas of the practice were clean. Protective clothing such as disposable gloves were available and liquid hand wash, alcohol hand gel and paper towels were available in all consultation rooms.

The provider carried out the required checks for all staff prior to them starting work.

We saw that regular checks were carried out on the quality of service received by patients.