- GP practice
Old Road Medical Practice
Report from 10 July 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 14 August 2025 to 19 August 2025. Old Road Medical Practice is a GP practice that delivers a service to approximately 9965 people under a contract held with NHS England. Services are delivered from the main surgery Old Road Medical Practice, 145-149 Old Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 3AU, the branch surgery Clacton Road Surgery, 103 Clacton Road, St Osyth, CO16 8PP. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the lowest 1st decile (1 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the practice, the context the service was working within, and how this impacted service delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.
SAFE: The practice provided us evidence of their efforts to ensure they were working towards an effective learning culture. Although the staff told us they were informed and learning was shared when incidents had occurred at the practice, the However, notes taken at staff meetings did not evidence this. The safeguarding policy had been updated with current lead staff names and responsibilities. Staff understood how risks were mitigated and managed. The facilities and equipment met the needs of people, were clean and well-maintained and any risks were mitigated. There were staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience working at the practice. Leaders made sure staff received training, development, and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. Infection control processes were well managed. Staff managed medicines and involved people in planning there care and treatment.
Improvements had been made in response to the breach of regulation 12 (Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients) issued to the practice at the previous assessment. These improvements included environment safety, risk assessment safety, infection control, and medicines management. These improvements were recent changes and needed to be embedded at the practice for assurance.
EFFECTIVE: People told us they were involved in the assessment of their care and treatment. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal, and health needs. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. Staff worked with stakeholder healthcare providers for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving between services. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to provide informed consent.
CARING: People told us they were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity and treated them as individuals by supporting their preferences. People were provided choices about their care and treatment. The practice supported their staff welfare.
RESPONSIVE: People were involved in decisions about their care. People knew how to provide feedback to the practice. People could access the practice environment to receive their care and treatment. People told us they received appropriate care and treatment. The practice provided health and care educational materials in the waiting room. People were involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing to receive or not receive care and treatment.
WELL-LED: Leaders and staff shared a culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable, and supportive, helping staff to develop in their roles. Staff told us they felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities within the practice. Leaders worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. They were working towards a culture of continuous improvement and staff were being given time and resources to develop, innovate, and improve.
Improvements had been made in response to the breach of regulation 17 (Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014) issued at the previous assessment. Although, these improvements needed to be embedded we had received assurance the positive changes were effective.
People's experience of this service
We accessed the CQC ‘Give Feedback on Care’ (GFC) comments we had received about the practice. We reviewed people’s feedback from Healthwatch Essex. We spoke with people onsite and received positive feedback in relation to clinical staff and non-clinical staff care and treatment. Feedback regarding the access to appointments and using the new online booking process was varied. However, people told us the staff at reception helped them to book an appointment on their behalf if they visited or telephoned the practice.
We spoke with representatives from the care homes that were provided GP services by the practice. Their feedback was positive saying the practice worked with them to meet the needs of their residents. We were told prescription management and advice was effective and appropriate.
We reviewed the National GP Patient Survey, published in July 2025. For access indicators, 1 was below and 1 in line with the England average. All 5 of the indicators for people’s experience showed no significant variation to the England average.
The practice had been unable to establish a Patient Participation Group (PPG). They provided news updates about the practice on their website and were at the time of this assessment considering setting up a virtual group.