Archived: Boundary Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Boundary Court Surgery on 23 August 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect; although satisfaction with how patients were involved in decisions about their care and treatment was below local and national averages.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• The provider had taken recent action in order to improve appointments access and on the day of our inspection urgent same day appointments were available, in addition to routine appointments being available within 24 hours.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by the lead GP. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to control the risk from Legionella (a term for a particular bacterium which can contaminate water systems in buildings).

• Develop systems for providing support to carers.

• Continue to monitor and seek improvements in national GP patient satisfaction on the extent to which patients are involved in decisions about their care.

• Consider new ways of increasing the membership of its patient participation group.

From 1 October 2014 to 31 July 2016, this service was provided on a caretaking basis by a CQC registered organisation: Evergreen Surgery Limited. This was following a July 2014 CQC inspection which highlighted concerns and which resulted in enforcement action against the then GP provider partnership. The two GPs constituting this partnership retired in October 2014.

We conducted an inspection of the caretaker organisation in July 2015 and overall the practice was rated as good. In August 2016, NHS England awarded the contract to deliver this service to Enfield Healthcare Alliance; a consortium of local GPs and of which Evergreen Surgery Limited was a founding member. In November 2016, Enfield Healthcare Alliance registered Boundary Court Surgery with the CQC as one of its locations.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice