We carried out an announced inspection at The Gamston Medical Centre on 24 May 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as Good.
Set out the ratings for each key question
Safe - Good
Effective - Good
Caring - Good
Responsive - Good
Well-led - Good
Why we carried out this inspection
This was a comprehensive inspection as this location had been registered by CQC following a change in service provider.
How we carried out the inspection
Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently.
This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.
This included:
- Conducting clinical staff interviews using video conferencing
- Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider
- 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 have rated this practice as Good overall
We found that:
- The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
- Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
- The culture of the practice and the way it was led and managed drove the delivery and improvement of high-quality, person-centred care.
- Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
- There was a strong emphasis on learning and sharing outcomes with the whole team and external organisations to promote best practice.
- All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised. All learning was shared with staff regularly.
- Leaders demonstrated they had the capacity and skills to deliver high quality, sustainable care.
- There was effective leadership at all levels which supported innovation, implementation of processes and the continuous monitoring of patient care.
- There was continuous commitment to patients and external stakeholders to share information, ideas and improvements. This included the development of new services and an audit programme to drive quality improvement.
- The practice adjusted how it delivered services to meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included enhanced infection control procedures.
- There was emphasis on staff wellbeing, and this was demonstrated through discussions with staff and evidence of appraisals. Staff were encouraged to develop and were provided with training opportunities.
- Risk management processes were in place and we found assessments of risks had been completed. These included fire safety, health and safety, and infection control. This ensured that risks had been considered to ensure the safety of staff and patients and to mitigate any future risks.
Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:
- Strengthen current systems for the reviewing of medicines before prescribing.
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