The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Clarkson Surgery

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

De Havilland Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE13 3AN (01945) 583133

Provided and run by:
Clarkson Surgery

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Clarkson Surgery 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 Clarkson Surgery, you can give feedback on this service.

24 October 2019

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Clarkson Surgery on 24 October 2019 as part of our inspection programme. The service was previously inspected in June 2016 and was rated Good overall.

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: Are services 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: Are services caring and responsive? The practice is rated as good for providing caring and responsive services.

Since August 2018, Clarkson Surgery had become part of Octagon Medical Practice. Octagon Medical Practice provides primary medical services to approximately 156,000 patients in the Peterborough, Wisbech, March and Huntingdon areas of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

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 for all population groups.

We found that:

  • Some of the practice systems and processes to provide care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm needed to be improved. On the day of the inspection we found risks were not always mitigated in a timely manner.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs. The provider achieved higher than average outcomes in the management of atrial fibrillation and the management of care plans for people experiencing serious mental illness.
  • The way the overall organisation led and managed the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care was comprehensive and detailed however, at local practice level we found the leadership needed to be improved.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Continue to monitor and improve the uptake of cervical screening for eligible women.
  • Review and improve practice systems for monitoring quality improvement and ensure learning is shared with relevant practice staff in a timely manner.

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.

28 June 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Clarkson Surgery on 28 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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.
  • 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.
  • Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Data from the National GP Patient Survey published in July 2016 showed that patients rated the practice higher than others for several aspects of care.
  • 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 well 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 an improvement are:

  • Review the process for cascading Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) updates throughout the practice and for ensuring that action is taken where necessary.
  • Undertake regular fire drills.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

28 August 2014

During a routine inspection

Clarkson Surgery provides a range of general medical services to approximately 11,000 patients living in Wisbech and the surrounding villages. There is a dispensary at the practice. The practice is led by seven general practitioners (GPs) who form the partnership management team. One of the partners is the CQC registered manager of services at the practice.

We found that the practice provided an effective, caring, responsive and well led service. Improvements were needed to ensure that the dispensary operated in a safe way. Prescriptions were not always authorised before they were dispensed. The security of the dispensary needed to be improved to reduce the risk of unauthorised access. Patients at the practice had a named GP and we saw evidence of continuity of care. Patients' needs were assessed, and care and treatment was provided in line with national guidance and timely referrals were made. Staff had received training and support to undertake their roles effectively. There were systems in place to learn from incidents and complaints, although the learning from these needed to be shared amongst the entire team.

The majority of the patients we spoke with during our inspection, and received feedback from, made positive comments about Clarkson Surgery and the service they provided, particularly in relation to the clinical care they received. The staff that we spoke with told us that they felt supported.

In advance of our inspection we talked to the local clinical commissioning group (CCG), the NHS local area team and Healthwatch Cambridge about the practice. The information they provided was used to inform the planning of the inspection.

We looked at patient care across the following population groups: older people; those with long term medical conditions; mothers, babies, children and young people; working age people and those recently retired; people in vulnerable circumstances who may have poor access to primary care; and people experiencing poor mental health. We found that overall, care was tailored appropriately to the individual circumstances and needs of patients in these groups. The practice did not provide extended hours, so access for working age adults may have been difficult for some patients.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.