• Doctor
  • GP practice

Wateringbury Surgery

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

14 Pelican Court, Wateringbury, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 5SS (01622) 814466

Provided and run by:
Wateringbury Surgery

All Inspections

2 September 2022

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced inspection at Wateringbury Surgery on 2 September 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as Good.

Safe – Good

Effective - Requires Improvement

Caring - Good

Responsive - Good

Well-led - Good

Why we carried out this inspection

This was an announced comprehensive inspection to provide the practice with an up to date rating. At our previous inspection on 13 July 2016, the practice was rated Good overall.

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Wateringbury Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

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 inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.

This included:

  • Conducting staff interviews using video conferencing,
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider,
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider.
  • Requesting evidence from the provider,
  • A short site visit,
  • Staff surveys.

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, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as Good overall

We rated the practice Requires Improvement for providing effective services.

We found that:

  • Our clinical record searches found improvement was required in relation to the safe management and monitoring of long-term conditions.

We rated the practice Good for providing safe, caring, responsive and well-led services.

We found that:

  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • Where our clinical record searches found improvement was required in relation to the safe management and monitoring of high-risk medicines and patients with long-term conditions; the practice had made improvements and had a clear, comprehensive and realistic action plan to address this.
  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • The practice adjusted how it delivered services to meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
  • The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of person-centre care.

We found one breach of regulations. The provider must:

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

The provider should:

  • Continue with their action plan to ensure that all historical safety alerts were being routinely reviewed to ensure that patients being newly prescribed certain medicines were highlighted in the system to ensure the guidance was applied.
  • Ensure that newly implemented procedures for legionella testing and emergency medicines are routinely monitored and embedded.

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

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services

13 July 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Wateringbury Surgery on 10 December 2015. Breaches of the legal requirements were found in relation to medicines management, infection prevention and control and safety of the premises.

As a result, care and treatment was not always provided in a safe and well-led way for patients. Therefore, Requirement Notices were served in relation to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation12 - Safe care and treatment and Regulation 15 - Premises and equipment.

Following the comprehensive inspection, the practice wrote to us to tell us what they would do to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches and how they would comply with the legal requirements, as set out in the Requirement Notices.

We undertook this desk based inspection on 13 July 2016, to check that the practice had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Wateringbury Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

10 December 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Wateringbury Surgery on 10 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good. Specifically, we found the practice to require improvement for providing safe services. It was good for providing effective, caring, responsive and well-led services.

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.

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

  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles.
  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.

  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.

  • The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they met people’s needs.

  • Urgent appointments were available the same day and pre bookable appointments were available up to 12 weeks in advance.

  • The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a result of survey responses and complaints received.

  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.

  • The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. A business plan was in place, was monitored, regularly reviewed and discussed with all staff. High standards were promoted and owned by all practice staff with evidence of team working across all roles.

  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management.

However there were areas where the provider should make improvements.

Importantly the provider MUST:

  • Ensure that medicines which have been dispensed and are ready for collection by patients (at Wateringbury Surgery), are stored securely overnight when the practice is unoccupied.

  • Ensure that issues recorded within the infection control audit are addressed, in order to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

  • Ensure that portable appliance tests are conducted, in order to ensure that equipment is safe and fit for purpose.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice