The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

East Finchley Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

39 Baronsmere Road, East Finchley, London, N2 9QD (020) 8883 1458

Provided and run by:
East Finchley Medical Centre

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 9 June 2026. East Finchley Medical Centre is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 7,251 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 67% White, 12.9% Asian, 6.53% Mixed, 6.09% Black and 7.52% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 8th decile (8 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the service population is relative to others.

This was a focused assessment. We undertook this assessment due to the length of time since our last assessment. We assessed 10 quality statements from across all 5 key questions. 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.
 

23 May 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at East Finchley Medical Centre on 27 July 2015. The overall rating for the practice was good. Within that overall rating the practice was rated as requires improvement for providing safe services. This was because it was not meeting some legal requirements in relation to infection prevention and control arrangements at the practice. The full comprehensive report of the July 2015 can be found at www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-556330457.

This inspection on 23 May 2017 was an announced comprehensive inspection and was carried out to confirm that the practice completed their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 27 July 2015. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

  • The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety, including infection prevention and control.

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.

  • Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.

  • 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 were less satisfied with the practice’s opening times, compared with local and national averages.

  • Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.

  • Patients we spoke with 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 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 the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Put in place policy and procedures to guide staff in the handling of notifiable safety incidents in accordance with the duty of candour.

  • Keep under review the changes the practice is making so that patients’ satisfaction with the practice’s opening hours is improved.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

27 July 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at East Finchley Medical Centre on the 7 July 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. The practice required improvement for providing safe services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long term-conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

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 with the exception of infection control.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
  • 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.
  • Patients said there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • 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.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider must:

  • Ensure infection control leads receive adequate infection control training and ensure infection control audits are completed annually.

In addition the provider should:

  • To review the disposal of urine specimens to ensure the risk of contamination is reduced.
  • Ensure clinical staff increase their awareness of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
  • Ensure access to a language services to support those patients where English is not their first language is provided.
  • Ensure equality and diversity training is provided to the staff team.
  • Ensure the views of patients through its PPG (A PPG is a group of patients registered with a practice who work with the practice to improve services and the quality of care) about their experiences, quality of care and treatment delivered by the service are sought.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice