The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

The Vine House Health Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

87-89 High Street, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, WD5 0AL (01923) 262363

Provided and run by:
The Vine House Health 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 The Vine House Health 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 The Vine House Health Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

9 December 2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an announced inspection at The Vine House Health Centre on 9 December 2021 Overall, the practice is rated as good.

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

Following our previous inspection on 2 October 2019, the practice was rated good overall; however, we found a breach of regulations which meant the practice was rated requires improvement for providing safe services.

The full reports for the October 2019 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Vine House Health Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

This inspection was a desk-based review to follow up on required actions identified at the last inspection as part of the key question providing safe services.

How we carried out the inspection

Throughout the pandemic, CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently.

This included

  • Requesting evidence from the provider
  • Information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services.

Our findings

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider.

We have rated this practice as good for providing safe services because:

We found that:

  • Systems were in place to ensure staff were given the appropriate authorisations to administer medicines (Including Patient Group Directions or Patient Specific Directions).
  • Systems were in place to ensure staff were trained to appropriate levels for their role.
  • Staff had received vaccinations in line with their role in accordance with guidance.
  • The infection prevention and control lead had completed additional infection control training beyond the essential training completed by all staff.

Additionally, where we previously told the practice they should make improvements our key findings were as follows:

At the previous inspection the uptake for one childhood immunisation was below the 90% minimum target. The uptake for this childhood immunisation remains below the target at 83%. However, systems were in place to book people in for subsequent appointments with protected time allocated to staff to monitor and chase outstanding appointments. Additional clinics have been set up to ensure children without proof of immunisations are immunised.

At the previous inspection the uptake of appointments for women attending their cervical screening was below the 80% minimum target. The uptake for women attending their cervical screening remains below target at 76%. However, plans to increase capacity for smear appointments are in place via staff training with more available time slots for appointments, assistance is offered to reduce communication barriers and reminder letters are sent out if appointment is not attended.

Staff at the practice have now been issued with an electronic training profile which allows for improved monitoring of staff training, alerts are sent to remind individuals when a module is reaching expiry and needs to be renewed. We were sent a copy of the care certificate for the Health Care Assistant.

At the previous inspection we told the provider they should provide staff with access to a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian and encourage an understanding of the practice’s values and strategy among all practice staff. A relevant poster with this information is now visible to all staff and further information is available to staff in the whistle-blowers protocol.

Whilst we found no breaches of the regulations the provider should:

Continue with actions to increase the uptake of childhood immunisations and women attending for cervical screening.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

2 October 2019

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an inspection of this service following our annual review of the information available to us including information provided by the practice. Our review indicated that there may have been a significant change to the quality of care provided since the last inspection.

This inspection focused on the following key questions: safe, effective and well-led.

Because of the assurance received from our review of information we carried forward the ratings for the following key questions: caring and responsive.

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as good overall and good for all population groups.

We rated the practice as requires improvement for providing safe services because:

  • The practice’s systems for the appropriate and safe use of medicines, including medicines optimisation were not always comprehensive.

Please see the final section of this report for specific details of our concerns.

We rated the practice as good for providing effective and well-led services because:

  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs. The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high quality, person-centred care and an inclusive, supportive environment for staff. There was a focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the practice. Where we identified any concerns during our inspection, the practice assured us action would be taken to resolve the issues.

The area where the provider must make improvements is:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.

Please see the final section of this report for specific details of the action we require the provider to take.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Implement a comprehensive system of training to include staff completing all essential training in a timely way, at the appropriate level for their roles, and that the healthcare assistant completes the Care Certificate.
  • Take steps so that existing infection prevention and control processes are strengthened. This includes those relating to the appropriate use and storage of cleaning equipment and the infection control lead completing suitable training for their role.
  • Strengthen systems and processes in relation to staff vaccinations and increasing the uptake of child immunisations and women attending for their cervical screening.
  • Provide staff with access to a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian and encourage an understanding of the practice’s values and strategy among all practice staff.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

17 January 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Vine House Health Centre on 17 January 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 an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed. However aspects of recording primary health care team meetings and noting the presence of a chaperone during a clinical examination needed strengthening.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance using in-house protocols and templates. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • Staff had received an annual appraisal in the past 12 months.
  • 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
  • Patient satisfaction for telephone access to appointments was lower than CCG and national averages.
  • The practice had established systems to support carers.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • There was a leadership structure and staff felt supported by management.
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Develop a process to keep a summary of the actions arising from primary health care team meetings so staff could keep track of any outstanding actions for example in relation to safeguarding.
  • Continue to monitor the recently implemented process to record the presence of a chaperone during a clinical examination.
  • Consider obtaining written consent for contraceptive procedures.
  • Continue to monitor the measures introduced to improve access to appointments including the effectiveness of the GP walk in consultation pilot which allowed patients urgent consultations with a GP from 4pm each evening without an appointment.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice