Rivermead Gate Medical Centre

Background to this inspection

Updated 27 June 2017

Rivermead Gate Medical Centre is an established GP practice that has operated in the area for many years. It serves approximately 13000 registered patients and has a general medical services contract with NHS Mid Essex CCG.

Rivermead Gate Medical Centre is the administrative centre for the practice serving patients in the north of Chelmsford. The branch surgery is located at 158 Wood Street, Chelmsford which is situated in the south of the city. The practice team consists of six GPs, two nurse practitioners three nurses and one health care assistant. Administration staff includes a practice manager who is supported by administration and reception staff. It is a teaching practice involved with the training of GPs.

The opening times for main surgery were between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The branch times are Monday to Friday from 8.15am to 1pm and in the afternoon from 3pm to 6.30pm. The practice has opted out of providing extended opening hours. Pre-bookable appointments can be booked up to four weeks in advance; urgent appointments are available for patients that need them. Patients are also able to book on the day appointments or for the following two days if necessary.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 27 June 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Rivermead Gate Medical Centre on 2 June 2016. The overall rating for the practice was good with requires improvement for the ‘Safe’ domain. The full comprehensive report for this inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Rivermead Gate Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

We then carried out a desk-based focused inspection on 25 May 2017 to confirm that the practice were now meeting the legal requirements in relation to the breaches of regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 2 June 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is rated as good, with the ‘Safe’ domain now rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

Staff undertaking chaperone duties received training
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks were in place for all staff including those non-clinical staff who acted as chaperones or a risk assessment had been completed as to why one was not required.
The system for managing significant events and safety incidents had been improved and there was evidence that they had been fully analysed, investigated and learning had been disseminated.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)

Chief Inspector of General Practice