Updated 27 February 2018
MedicSpot is a new service which functions as an online video-linked GP service. The GPs work remotely providing pre-booked video consultations with patients who are based in a private clinical station in their selected pharmacy. MedicSpot use online technology to enable patients to book a consultation with a GP at one of the participating pharmacies throughout the country. The video consultation allows the doctor to see and speak to the patient via a video link at the pharmacy clinical station and the equipment provided allows the patient to perform specific observations including pulse rate, blood pressure and temperature.
Clinical stations comprise a computer and an equipment tower which includes a blood pressure machine and cuff; a stethoscope (to listen to heart and lungs); a flexible medicam (to look into the throat and ears); a pulseoximeter (to measure oxygen levels and pulse rate) and a thermometer. Instruction is provided on how to use the equipment and the patient informs the GP of the readings taken.
The service is operated by the CEO (chief executive officer) who is also the registered manager. (A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run). The CEO is supported by the Medical Director who shares responsibility for the operational and clinical management of the service. Both the CEO and Medical Director are GPs.
The service employs four members of staff, three GPs and one administrator all of whom work remotely.
Consultations can be booked between 9am and 6pm daily dependent on the opening times of individual pharmacies and the availability of GP appointments. Access via the website to book a consultation is available 24 hours a day.
How we inspected this service
Our inspection team was led by a CQC Lead Inspector accompanied by a GP Specialist Adviser and a member of the CQC medicines team.
Before visiting, we reviewed a range of information we hold about the service and asked other organisations to share what they knew.
During our visit we:
- Spoke with the CEO, Medical Director, GPs and participating pharmacists.
- Reviewed organisational documents.
- Reviewed patient consultation records.
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.
Why we inspected this service
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.