Updated 15 August 2022
Background to Weekend Service (Rayleigh)
Weekend Service (Rayleigh) is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), to provide NHS extended hours service. These services are provided from Audley Mills Surgery, in Rayleigh, Essex.
The provider of this service is GP Healthcare Alliance which is a group of 18 GP practices in five primary care networks (PCNs) in Castle Point, Rochford and Rayleigh in Essex, working together to provide healthcare services for practices and patients. All member practices remain independent but work collaboratively to deliver and improve healthcare within the area. The administrative records for Weekend Service (Rayleigh) are held at Headquarters, Mulberry Road, Canvey Island, and this location was inspected separately. The provider has another location, GPHA Clinical Site and this location has not yet been inspected.
The surgery is situated in Rayleigh town centre with a large car park to the rear. There is parking for the disabled and access and treatment rooms are also accessible.
The staff who work at this service are directly employed by GP Healthcare Alliance who also manage a team of bank staff to minimise the use of locums. GP Healthcare Alliance also directly employ all of the healthcare professionals for the PCNs they work with.
The service provides extended access appointments via:
- The patient’s registered GP
- NHS 111
- Direct telephone contact for same-day appointments.
The service is led by a GP and includes a clinical nurse manager, an operations manager, an operations supervisor, two administrators, bank staff including ten GPs, nine nurses and twelve receptionists.
The service is provided on a Saturday and Sunday from 9am – 3pm and the same hours on bank holidays.
The service for patients requiring medical care outside of these and their registered GP surgery hours is provided by the NHS 111 service.
How we inspected this service
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 included:
- Evidence from the provider
- A short site visit
- Interviews with staff
- Staff questionnaires via email
- Review of internal data
- Feedback from the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:
- Is it safe?
- Is it effective?
- Is it caring?
- Is it responsive to people’s needs?
- Is it well-led?
These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.