• Doctor
  • GP practice

The Shaftesbury Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

39 Shaftesbury Parade, Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 0AH (020) 8423 5500

Provided and run by:
The Shaftesbury Medical Centre

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 28/04/2025 to 01/05/2025 with an additional call scheduled on the 19/06/2025. The assessment was due to an aged rating. The Shaftesbury Medical Centre is a GP practice and delivers service to 5,456 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The National General Practice Profiles states that the ethnicity of the practice population is 42.31% Asian, 35.82% White, 4.34% Mixed, 9.27% Black and 8.27% Other. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 7th decile (7 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the service, the context the service was working within and how this impacted service delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.

The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks. The facilities and equipment met the needs of people, were clean and well-maintained and any risks mitigated.

People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. Staff took decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity. The service worked well across teams and services to support people.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and treatment. The service supported staff wellbeing.

People were involved in decisions about their care. The service provided information people could understand. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities. Care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. The service was easy to access and worked to eliminate discrimination.

Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. However, we found that the service did not always have clear systems of good governance. We found that the practice did not have a safeguarding register for adults. During our on-site visit, we found that there were gaps in training and recruitment files for some locum staff. We found that there were gaps in training files for some salaried staff. This was actioned after the on-site inspection, and we saw evidence that staff were now all up to date with their required training and recruitment files.

We found breaches of regulation in relation to Regulation 17 – Good governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

20 December 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Shaftesbury Medical Centre on 20 December 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 well managed.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.

  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 should make improvements are:

  • To continue monitoring phone and appointment provision to improve patient satisfaction with the provision.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

17 December 2013

During a routine inspection

During the inspection we spoke with four patients and looked at comments from people on the NHS Choices website. Overall patients were generally satisfied with the service. Patients we spoke with told us that they were treated with respect and were fully involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Comments from patients included, 'The doctors are very friendly and they listen,' 'I am treated with respect,' and 'I can generally get appointments when I want.'

Patients received the care and treatment that they needed. The GPs arranged for diagnostic tests to be carried out and referred patients to other services or specialists when necessary. Reviews of patient's care and treatment took place and these were recorded.

Arrangements were in place to ensure that appropriate action was taken in response to incidents or allegations of abuse. Staff were aware of reporting and recording procedures that they needed to follow in response to allegations of abuse.

The provider had a recruitment policy. Essential checks were carried before staff were employed.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and to make improvements to the service when needed.