• Doctor
  • GP practice

St George's Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

7 Sunningfields Road, Hendon, London, NW4 4QR (020) 8202 6232

Provided and run by:
St George's Medical Centre

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about St George's Medical Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about St George's Medical Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

31 December 2019

During an annual regulatory review

We reviewed the information available to us about St George's Medical Centre on 31 December 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.

8 November 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall. The practice was previously inspected on 12 October 2016 and rated Good.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at St George’s Medical Centre as part of our new methodology inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

There was an open and honest culture in the practice which promoted a culture of learning and improvement. The practice had comprehensive systems in place and we saw evidence that these systems were improved upon through learning from incidents. Care and treatment was provided in line with evidence-based guidance and we saw many examples of the practice tailoring its service to improve the patient experience. Patients had positive views about the care they received and their interactions with practice staff. Access to the service was good and patients told us they could book routine and emergency appointments when needed. We saw many examples of continuous learning and improvement on the day of inspection.

For example:

  • The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.

  • The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.

  • The practice thought about patient experience and put services in place to improve such as providing in house phlebotomy services and acupuncture.

  • Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

  • Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.

  • There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

We saw three areas of outstanding practice:

  • The practice had eight fully trained health champions that assist patients in the surgery and provide social and well-being events. For example, the health champions greet patients in reception and encourage patients to take advantage of the blood pressure monitoring pod in the patient reception area. The health champions provide a range of events for patients including weekly walks in the local park, chair yoga held at the practice and a gardening club. The champions also provide social services such as telephone support or accompanying patients to hospital appointments. The practice conducted a patient survey and we saw evidence that on average patients overall well-being (using a five point scale) went from a three to a five.

  • The practice provide an alcohol counselling service in partnership with Westminster Drug Project. The service included one to one counselling with an alcohol counsellor, group sessions, medical interventions, detox opportunities (outpatient and inpatient) and inpatient rehabilitation. We saw evidence that there was a 60% success rate for patients who participate in the service.

  • The practice provide an acupuncture service, free of charge, to all registered patients. The practice conducted an audit to identify whether patients felt this treatment had helped with their conditions. Patient were treated for conditions such as tennis elbow, neck pain, shoulder pain, lower back pain, knee pain and headache. During the audit the practice contacted patients who undertook this treatment between January 2017 and November 2017, 78% of patients felt this service had reduced their pain and would recommend this treatment.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Improve the uptake of childhood immunisations.

  • Improve the uptake of cervical screening in women between the ages of 25 and 64.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

12 October 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced focussed, desk based inspection at St George’s Medical Centre on 12 October 2016. We found the practice to be good for providing safe services and it is rated as good overall.

We had previously conducted an announced comprehensive inspection of the practice on 21 January 2016. As a result of our findings during the visit, the practice was rated as good for being effective, caring, responsive and well led, and requires improvement for being safe; which resulted in a rating of good overall. We found that the provider had breached one regulation of the Health and Social Care Act 2008; Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(b) (g)(h) safe care and treatment.

The practice wrote to us to tell us what they would do to make improvements and meet the legal requirements. We undertook this focussed inspection to check that the practice had followed their plan and to confirm that they had met the legal requirements.

This report only covers our findings in relation to those areas where requirements had not been met at our January 2016 inspection. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for St George’s Medical Centre on our website at https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-539629350.

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

  • There were appropriate systems in place for the safe storage and management of vaccines.

  • A fire risk assessment had taken place within the last 12 months.

  • Records showed that staff had undertaken infection prevention and control training.

  • The practice was undertaking periodic water temperature monitoring, in accordance with the practice’s legionella risk assessment action plan.

  • An appropriately signed Patient Specific Direction (PSD) for flu immunisation was on file for the practice’s Health Care Assistant.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

21 January 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at St George’s Medical Centre on 21 January 2016. 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 an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and managed with the exception of those relating to the safe storage of vaccines.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • 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.
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

  • Ensure that there are appropriate systems in place for the safe storage and management of vaccines.

  • Ensure that annual fire risk assessments take place.

  • Ensure that staff undertake infection prevention and control training.

  • Ensure that periodic water temperature monitoring takes place, in accordance with the practice’s legionella risk assessment action plan.

  • Ensure that an appropriately signed Patient Specific Direction for flu immunisation is on file for the practice’s Health Care Assistant.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Review systems in place for identifying and supporting carers.

  • Review systems in place for monitoring patients being prescribed the anticoagulant medicine Warfarin.

  • Ensure that there is a system in place for regularly cleaning fabric window curtains and for ensuring that this is monitored.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice