The Care Quality Commission
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Archived: Gray's Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Grays Medical Practice, Orchard Gardens, Chessington, Surrey, KT9 1AG (020) 8974 2222

Provided and run by:
Gray's Medical Centre

All Inspections

2 June 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gray’s Medical Centre on 2nd June 2015.

We found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people including those recently retired and students, people whose circumstances make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

Our key inspection findings were as follows:

  • There were comprehensive systems in place to ensure the delivery of safe care including safeguarding processes, health and safety assessments and equipment to deal with emergencies.
  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and to report incidents. The practice adapted a learning approach to significant events such that incidents were investigated and any outcomes were used to improve patient care.
  • The practice had actively reviewed its patient population so that services could be targeted to meet the needs of its patient population.
  • Patients reported that there had been improvement in both access to appointments and delivery of care in the past six months.
  • Multidisciplinary meetings were carried out and information was shared with a range of different services to ensure continuity of care for patients.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance ensuring patient-centred care was provided
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • There were a number of policies and procedures available to govern activity and these were updated regularly
  • Staff felt well-supported by the practice team and felt able to raise any concerns
  • Although information was shared within the practice, there were not always good communication links to cascade information from the provider organisation to all staff

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

In addition the provider should:

  • Ensure that all patient group directions (PGDs) are updated in line with recognised guidance.
  • Ensure that there is a robust system in place to consistently record and monitor vaccine refrigerator temperatures.
  • Ensure that a developed system of audit is continued in the practice.
  • Ensure that a patient participation group is set up to assist in improving services.
  • Ensure that online prescriptions and appointments are available in line with contractual obligations.
  • Ensure that staff and patients are able to clearly differentiate between the general practice and walk in centre services that are provided within the same building. This includes ensuring that governance systems are in place to ensure that delivery of the walk in service does not impact on the care provided to the Gray’s practice. It should also include regular review of the sufficiency of staffing at both practices.
  • Ensure that it is clear who has the role of strategic lead in the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

9 August 2013

During a routine inspection

We observed that despite being busy on the day of our inspection, reception staff were available to assist people in a timely manner, and were professional and polite. We found that when we sat in the reception area, we could not hear what was said as people checked in for their appointments. We also could not hear what was said when reception staff were on the phone.

We found that there were appropriate infection control measures in use at the practice and that medicines were adequately managed. We also found that people were protected from the risk of abuse because procedures were in place at the practice for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, and staff demonstrated that they were aware of these procedures.