Victoria Medical Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks. The facilities and equipment met the needs of people, were clean and well-maintained and any risks mitigated. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Managers made sure staff received training, support and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. Staff managed medicines well and involved people in planning any changes.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as requires improvement. At this assessment, the rating has changed to good. The service was previously found to be in breach of legal regulation as improvements were required in relation to their recording and learning from incidents, ensuring they had appropriate emergency equipment, and their management of medicines including the appropriate storage of vaccinations and prescription forms.

The practice had addressed all the areas highlighted for action in their previous report. The provider had trained staff and established effective systems to encourage the reporting of incidents and learning from them. They had revised their medicine management processes to ensure medicine alerts were acted on, safe prescribing practices operated with people receiving appropriate reviews. Appropriate emergency medicines and equipment were accessible to staff.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They responded to safety concerns by investigating incidents and reporting safety events appropriately. Lessons were discussed and learning was identified and embedded into good practice.

People were encouraged and felt supported to raise concerns and felt staff treated them with compassion and understanding. A representative from the Patient Participation Group (PPG) told us the provider took concerns seriously and proactively made improvements to the service. Managers actively encouraged staff to raise concerns when things went wrong. During staff meetings, clinical and administrative teams discussed and learnt from clinical issues. Staff felt there was an open culture, and that safety was a top priority. The provider had processes for staff to report incidents, near misses and safety events. There was a system to record and investigate complaints, and when things went wrong, staff apologised and gave people support. Learning from incidents and complaints resulted in changes that improved care for others.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services.

There were established and effective systems in place for processing information relating to new patients. This included checking appropriate legal authorities were in place for children and vulnerable adults. The service worked with other providers to deliver shared care and when patients moved between services. Referrals and test results were actively monitored and managed in a timely way.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. They concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. Staff showed a genuine interest in people, sharing and escalating concerns quickly and appropriately.

Staff were appropriately trained in safeguarding. Safeguarding policies were in place and known and followed by staff. The practice identified and maintained a list of vulnerable people and acted on concerns working in partnership with other organisations.

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. They provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

Emergency equipment and medicines were available and maintained. Staff could recognise a deteriorating patient and knew of action to take. Patients were advised on risks related to their condition and actions to take if their condition deteriorated.

The service identified, assessed, mitigated or removed potential risks in the care environment at both of their locations. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

Contracts were in place to ensure the premises were maintained. Health and safety including fire safety risk assessments and audits had been undertaken and risks identified had been addressed. The last fire drill was conducted in February 2025. There was a business continuity plan in place which was monitored and reviewed.

The service ensured there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.

There were a range of clinical and non-clinical roles in the practice. We found training was up to date, learning needs and development of staff was managed appropriately, and staff were working in their agreed areas of competence. Safe recruitment practices were followed.

The service identified, assessed, mitigated and/or removed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

The practice had a designated infection, prevention and control lead and all staff had had relevant training. Cleaning schedules were in place and followed. Risk assessments and audits had been appropriately completed in November 2024, and actions taken to mitigate risks. For example, the practice had increased the number of sharps bins available to staff when administering seasonal vaccines to prevent overfill of the bins.

The service had refined and strengthened their systems and processes to ensure medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. We checked a sample of clinical records for people with asthma and diabetes and found all were being appropriately monitored.

The practice had improved their systems for receiving and acting on Medicines and Health care Regulatory Agency alerts. We checked a sample of clinical records and found people had been informed of associated risks and the requirements for monitoring on a contraception medicine.

Staff involved people in reviews of their medicines and helped them understand how to manage their medicines safely including when changes happened.

People knew what to do and who to contact if their condition did not improve or they experienced any unexpected symptoms. Staff received regular training, were competency assessed on medicines optimisation, and felt confident managing the storage, administration and recording of medicines.

Staff managed prescription stationery appropriately and securely. Staff followed protocols to ensure they prescribed all medicines safely with additional safeguarding in place when prescribing controlled drugs. They ensured people received all recommended medicines reviews and monitoring.