Archived: The Health Centre Surgery

This practice is rated as Requires Improvement overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – RI

Are services effective? –RI

Are services caring? – GOOD

Are services responsive? – GOOD

Are services well-led? - RI

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People –Requires improvement

People with long-term conditions – Requires improvement

Families, children and young people – Requires improvement

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Requires improvement

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Requires improvement

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) – Requires improvement

We rated the population groups as Requires Improvement overall because the issues identified as inadequate and relating to patient safety, effectiveness and providing a well-led service affected all patients.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Health Centre surgery 05 March 2018. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

At this inspection we found:

• Systems and processes in place promoted the safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children.
• Systems to ensure staff recruitment was safe were established. There was a formal induction in place for locum doctors.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events which was understood by all staff.
• Clinical and nursing staff were aware of current evidence based guidance.
• Patients received care and treatment in keeping with best practice guidance and outcomes for patients was in line with local and national expectations.
• Patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with the practice.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Patients said they almost always got to see the GP of their choice, and this was confirmed by patients we spoke with and those who completed CQC comment cards. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and patients felt the practice listened to their concerns.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour.
• Medical emergency drills had never been completed by staff.
• The practice did not have systems for appropriate and safe management of medicines carried by the doctors.

The areas where the provider must make improvements:

• Ensure that care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
• Ensure that systems and processes are established and operated effectively to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
• Ensure that persons employed by the provider in the provision of the regulated activity receive appropriate support, professional development and supervision as necessary to enable them to carry out the duties they are employed to perform.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review the systems for developing strategies, identifying service priorities, and improvement plans.
• Review staff training needs and how this is to be delivered.
• Review the policy with regards to vetting staff who act as chaperones.
• Review how learning is shared and communicated between all staff.
• Review the system for offering health checks (for the over 75 age group) in keeping with best practice guidance.
• Review the system for providing updated job descriptions when roles change.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice