The Care Quality Commission
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Archived: Dr Robert Stewart Also known as The Hawkinge & Elham Valley Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Surgery, Old Road, Elham, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 6UH (01303) 840213

Provided and run by:
Dr Robert Stewart

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

11 March 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Robert Stewart (also known as The Hawkinge and Elham Valley Practice) on 11 March 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing well-led, effective, safe, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for the care of older people, people with long term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable, people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

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

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, with the exception of those relating to recruitment checks.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • 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 management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

 

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

28 June 2013

During a routine inspection

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of patients who used the service. We talked to people, reviewed records and systems. We looked at the environment and how this impacted on the service delivery.

We spoke in depth with six patients who used the service that day. These patients were randomly selected and had attended an appointment with a GP, or a nurse.

We spoke with staff that included, the practice manager, information manager two administration staff and two reception staff. We also spoke with a practice nurse, the principal GP and two salaried GPs.

We were told and records showed us that patient's care needs had been assessed and that people were treated with respect and their dignity was promoted. Patients said that they had time to discuss their health care needs, and had been fully involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.

We saw that processes were established that ensured staff had an understanding of abuse and what to do if it was suspected.

Records and processes in place ensured staff who worked in the practice had the right skills and qualifications to undertake the role designated. Staff had training and development opportunities and told us they were well supported by the provider and staff that they worked with.

We found that the processes in place to respond to complaints had ensured information provided was used to improve the service provided.