• Doctor
  • GP practice

Addison Road Medical Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

46 Ravenswood Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 9LY (020) 8430 7171

Provided and run by:
Addison Road Medical Practice

All Inspections

6 July 2019

During an annual regulatory review

We reviewed the information available to us about Addison Road Medical Practice on 6 July 2019. 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.

26 March 2019

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an unannounced focussed inspection at Addison Road Medical Practice on 26 March 2019.

This inspection was carried out in response to concerns raised about the complaints system and access to the practice. The practice is still rated good, and this inspection focussed on the Responsive key line of enquiry.

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 and other organisations.

Inspection findings

  • The practice had a clear documented approach to handling complaints, which was embedded in practice.
  • The practice had an effective appointment system, which was monitored and regularly reviewed and provided a sufficient number of appointments for the practice population.

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

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP Chief Inspector of General Practice

6 December 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Addison Road Medical Practice on 3 May 2017. The overall rating for the practice was good, but there was a rating of requires improvement for providing responsive services. The full comprehensive report on the May 2017 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Addison Road Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 5 December 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to improve patient satisfaction with access to services, including getting through to the practice by telephone and obtaining an appointment. 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:

  • Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients rated the practice below local and national averages for being able to get through to the practice by telephone and access appointments. The practice carried out their own survey and patients rated these services positively.
  • The practice increased the number of weekly GP contacts by 36% by introducing a triage system.
  • The practice increased the number of hours that it was open each week.
  • The practice was a part of the local HUB, which provided GP and nurse appointments on weekday evenings and on weekends. The practice was also open for appointments on Saturdays between 9am and 2pm.
  • A new telephone system was installed, which enabled an increased amount of calls to be answered at any given time and included a queuing system.
  • The practice carried out regular audits to ensure the efficiency of the new telephone and appointment systems.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and the practice regularly held health promotion days. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

3 May 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Addison Road Medical Practice on 19 November 2015. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report published in March 2016 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Addison Road Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced comprehensive inspection on 3 May 2017, carried out 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 19 November 2015. There were breaches in staff training, recruitment processes and complaint procedures. There were also concerns with the recording of and learning from significant events, registration processes for people with no fixed address, the appointment system and access to a GP and the identification of carers. 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 across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
  • Recruitment arrangements for newly appointed staff members followed national guidance; staff members had the appropriate checks including Disclosure and Barring Service checks carried out prior to employment.
  • Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • All staff members had completed training relevant to their role including safeguarding and chaperone training.
  • Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. However there were issues with patients being able to get through to the practice by telephone and access appointments.
  • The practice held extended hours appointments on two weekday evenings per week and on a Saturday. Telephone consultations and online appointment bookings were available daily.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and the practice regularly held health promotion days. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
  • Patients we spoke with said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 were processes in place to register patients with no fixed address.
  • The practice had identified 1% of the patient list as a carer.
  • 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 the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Continue to work to improve patient satisfaction with access to services including getting through to the practice by telephone and obtaining an appointment.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

19 November 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Addison Road Medical Practice on 19 November 2015. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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

  • Although, some staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses, reviews and investigations were not thorough enough. Patients did not always receive a verbal and written apology.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, with the exception of those relating to recruitment checks.
  • Data showed patient outcomes were low for the locality. Although some audits had been carried out, we saw limited evidence that audits were driving improvement in performance to improve patient outcomes.
  • The majority of patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.
  • Urgent appointments were usually available on the day they were requested.
  • The practice had a number of policies and procedures to govern activity.
  • The practice had proactively sought feedback from patients and had an active patient participation group.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure significant events are recorded appropriately and ensure systems are in place to disseminate learning from the discussion and analysis of significant events.

  • Ensure that all clinical staff receive level three child protection training and ensure all non-clinical staff receive an appraisal within the last 12 months, training in infection control and fire safety

  • Ensure recruitment arrangements include all necessary employment checks for all non clinical staff, who act as chaperones.

  • Review the complaints procedure to highlight patients’ rights in the NHS Constitution and the stages of the NHS complaints process including referral to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Ensure a regular review of complaints takes place and that learning is identified and issues addressed are communicated to all staff.

In addition the provider should:

  • Ensure that regular clinical meetings with all clinical staff take place to ensure learning is disseminated and NICE guidelines are discussed to prevent or minimise harm where possible and ensure guidelines are monitoredto check that they are followed, through risk assessments, audits and random sample checks of patient records.

  • Ensure policies and arrangements are in place to allow people with no fixed address to register at the practice.

  • Ensure a review of the appointment system to improve access.

  • Ensure when inductions are completed that a record of a completed induction is kept on file.

  • Ensure that systems to manage staff training and training records are coordinated.

  • Maintain a register of patients identified as carers.

Where a practice is rated as inadequate for one of the five key questions or one of the six population groups it will be re-inspected within six months after the report is published. If, after re-inspection, it has failed to make sufficient improvement, and is still rated as inadequate for any key question or population group, we will place it into special measures. Being placed into special measures represents a decision by CQC that a practice has to improve within six months to avoid CQC taking steps to cancel the provider’s registration.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice