The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Redhouse Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

127 Renfrew Road, Redhouse, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR5 5PS (0191) 537 5700

Provided and run by:
Redhouse Medical Centre

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Redhouse Medical Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Redhouse Medical Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

21 January 2020

During an annual regulatory review

We reviewed the information available to us about Redhouse Medical Centre on 21 January 2020. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.

7 February 2017

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Redhouse Medical Centre on 12 July 2016, where we rated the practice as requiring improvement overall. The full comprehensive report on the July 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Redhouse Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 7 February 2017 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 12 July 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is now rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • The practice had made progress in addressing all areas of weakness identified during the previous inspection in July 2016.
  • They had implemented an annual review process to check for any themes emerging from significant events over the year, and also check on the implementation of learning.
  • The approach to clinical audit within the practice was developing; however this was still largely reactive. The practice had not yet developed an audit programme to support them in proactive quality improvement.
  • We found the practice had improved the approach to handling patient safety alerts, such as those from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). However, the practice did not maintain a documentary record of the action taken in response to each alert.
  • They had implemented improvements in recruitment checks.
  • Arrangements had been made to offer appraisals for all staff, including non-clinical staff.
  • The practice had addressed those areas we told them they should at the July 2016 inspection. This included arranging training for the practice’s designated infection control lead; replacing window blinds with loop cords for those that did not present a ligature risk; improving arrangements to ensure they maintained the cold chain for temperature sensitive medicines; purchasing paediatric defibrillator pads; and preparing a GP locum induction pack. The practice had also taken steps to develop a patient participation group, but they had not successfully held a meeting of the group yet.
  • The vision and strategy for the practice was developing. They had started to develop a business plan to document the future development of the practice.
  • The leadership capability and structure within the practice was being developed to ensure it supported the practice going forward.

There are areas where the provider should make improvements. The practice should:

  • Continue to develop and strengthen their governance systems to ensure staff are supported to proactively manage and continually improve the quality of the service provided. This includes developing a proactive programme of clinical and non-clinical audit to support quality improvement, further improve patient outcomes and safety of the practice.
  • Check the infection control arrangements within the practice are appropriate by carrying out an audit and following up and implementing any improvements identified.
  • Maintain a good audit trail of action taken in response to patient safety alerts, including those from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

12 July 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the Redhouse Medical Centre on 12 July 2016. Overall, the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near-misses. However, reviews of significant events were not undertaken, to check that the measures put in place to prevent them from happening again had been effective.

  • Although risks to patients had been assessed, the systems and processes to address these risks were not implemented well enough to ensure they were kept safe.

  • Services were tailored to meet the needs of individual patients and were delivered in a way that promoted flexibility and choice.

  • Nationally reported Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) data showed that the practice’s overall performance was just below the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and England averages.

  • 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, but they were not receiving appropriate appraisal.

  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. Data from the NHS National GP Patient Survey of the practice showed patients rated the practice either higher than, or broadly in line with, local CCG and national averages, for most aspects of care.

  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

  • The arrangements for governance and performance management were not always effective. There was no planned, structured approach to carrying out clinical and quality improvement audits, to improve patient outcomes, and few audits had been carried out.

  • The practice did not have a well-developed vision regarding how they would deliver high-quality person-centre care.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure the required staff recruitment checks are carried out.

  • Ensure staff receive appropriate appraisal to enable them to carry out the duties they are employed to perform.

  • Ensure that suitable arrangements have been made to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the services provided by the practice.

However, there were also areas where the provider needs to make improvements. The provider should :

  • Arrange for the practice’s designated infection control lead to complete additional training to help them carry out this role.

  • Carry out a risk assessment in relation to the window blinds that have loop cords to determine the potential risks to patient safety and how these can be minimised.

  • Provide a back-up thermometer in each vaccine refrigerator.

  • Provide paediatric defibrillator pads for use in an emergency.

  • Prepare a GP locum induction pack.

  • Develop a patient participation group.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice