• Doctor
  • GP practice

GP Direct

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

5-7 Welbeck Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 0RQ (020) 8515 9300

Provided and run by:
GP Direct

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 31 October 2019

GP Direct practice is located at 3-7 Welbeck Road, Harrow, Middlesex. The practice lies within the administrative boundaries of Harrow clinical commissioning group (CCG) and provides primary medical services to approximately 21,500 patients. The practice holds a Primary Medical Services (PMS) contract.

The partners run one other branch surgery at Eastcote Lane. The main surgery located on Welbeck road has recently undergone major redevelopment work to create a larger three-storey multi-purpose-built health centre providing a wide range of services. The new premises consist of nine consulting rooms, three treatment rooms, a phlebotomy room, a dirty and clean utility room, a dedicated reception and waiting area, as well as a dedicated mother and baby nursing area all situated on the ground floor. The upstairs level, accessible via a lift or stairs, consists of office and administration spaces, a call centre, conference room, a staff room and a dedicated quiet room for staff.

The branch site is located at 32A Eastcote Lane, approximately one mile from the main practice and is set on the ground floor only. The registered list size of all the 21,500 patients is managed from the main surgery on one clinical database. Their telephone system connects all the sites on one main telephone number and switchboard. The practice also has a single management and staff structure where patients can attend any of the sites. The practice website can be found at gpdirect.co.uk

The practice area is rated in the seventh 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 a high ethnically diverse population that make up 78% of the practice population and includes a higher than average proportion of children and young people aged 44 years below.

The main practice at Welbeck Road is open between 8.00am and 6.30pm on Monday to Friday and between 8.30am and 12.00pm on Saturday. Extended hours surgeries are offered on Monday and Wednesday between 6.30pm and 8.00pm. The branch site at Eastcote Lane is also open between 8.30am and 6.30pm on Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours, patients are redirected to their out of hours provider, Care UK.

The practice is staffed by seven GP partners, three female and four male, as well as five salaried GPs who provide a combination of 64 sessions a week. The practice is a training practice, with two trainee GPs who provide a combination of 24 sessions. The practice also employs a part-service development/business manager and a practice manager. Clinical staff also employed are one clinical pharmacist, four nurses including a nurse practitioner and a nurse case manager, one healthcare assistant, one doctor’s assistant and two phlebotomists. Thirty back office and patient facing reception and administration staff are also employed by the practice.

The practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide the regulated activities of treatment of disease, disorder or injury, surgical procedures, diagnostic and screening procedures, maternity and midwifery services and family planning. The practice provides a wide range of services including GP consultations and nursing services, carers’ checks, chronic disease management, immunisations, family planning, joint injections, cryotherapy, chronic disease screening services and phlebotomy. They also provide allied healthcare services such as the diabetes and the dietitian clinics.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 31 October 2019

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at GP Direct on 9 August 2018. The overall rating for the practice was good with a rating of requires improvement in the Safe key question The full comprehensive reports on the August 2018 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for GP Direct on our website at cqc.org.uk.

At the last inspection in August 2018, we rated the practice as requires improvement for providing safe services because:

  • There was no clear system to monitor the stock levels and expiration of vaccines at the practice.
  • There was no clear system to monitor blank prescription forms.

We also found areas where the provider should make improvements:

  • Take action to ensure all the actions arising from risk assessments are recorded.
  • Take action to carry out NHS health checks for patients aged 40-74.
  • Improve the recording of complaint responses to ensure the ombudsman details are always included.

This inspection was an announced focused follow up inspection carried out on 30 September 2019, to confirm the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulation that we identified in our previous inspection on 9 August 2018. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is now rated as Good for providing safe services and continues to be rated Good overall.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • The practice had a clear system to monitor the stock levels and expiration of vaccines at the practice.
  • The practice had a clear system to monitor blank prescriptions.
  • Actions arising from fire, health and safety risk assessments were now completed and signed.
  • The practice had carried out 88 NHS health checks since the last inspection; however, this was affected by staffing changes which led to fewer health checks completed.
  • The practice ensured ombudsman details were included in all complaints.

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

  • Continue to monitor and improve health checks for patients aged 40-74.

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