The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

The Old Court House Surgery

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Old Court House, Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5 4BB (020) 8449 2388

Provided and run by:
The Old Court House Surgery

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Dr Desai, Lowe and Farooqi (The Old Court House Surgery) is a GP practice that delivers services to approximately 10000 patients under a contract held with NHS England. National GP profiles state the ethnic makeup of the practice area is 67.84% White, 14.2% Asian, 6.69% Black, 5.69% Mixed and 5.58% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that the deprivation within the practice population is in the 8th decile of 10. The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the service, the context the service was working in and how this impacted service delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statement section of this report.

There were no breaches at this location and what we found are as follows:

People and staff were kept safe and protected with incidents and complaints investigated. Learning outcomes were discussed. There was a robust Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) system with regular audits. Staff received regular training and appraisals. Staff managed medicines well and involved people in planning and changes.

People were involved in assessments of their needs. Regular health checks and reviews took place. Evidence based care in line with good practice was delivered. The service worked with other agencies to enable good outcomes of care. People made informed decisions about their health.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Dignity and privacy were respected. A chaperone service was provided to those who requested it.

People were involved in decisions about their care and information needed to make a decision was provided. Interpretation services were available. Complaints were handled appropriately.

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture. Leaders had an understanding of equality, human rights and safe compassionate care. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities.

7 October 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced, desk based review of Drs Desai, Lowe and Farooqi (The Old Courthouse Surgery) on 7 October 2016. We found the practice to be good for providing safe services and it is rated as good overall.

We had previously conducted an announced desk based review of the practice on 26 August 2015. As a result of our findings during that visit, the practice was rated as good for being effective, caring, responsive and well-led, and requires improvement for being safe, which resulted in a rating of good overall. We found that the provider had breached one regulation of the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Regulation 12(1) Safe care and treatment. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection at http://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/1-199720572. The practice wrote to us to tell us what they would do to make improvements and meet the legal requirements.

We undertook this desk based review on 7 October 2016 to check that the practice had followed their plan, and to confirm that they had met the legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those areas where requirements had not been met previously.

Our key findings on 7 October 2016 were as follows:

  • All staff had now undertaken training in basic life support

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

26 August 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Drs Desai, Lowe and Farooqi (also known as The Old Court House Surgery) on 26 August 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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:

  • 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 had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned. However, for some staff, training on basic life support was out of date.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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 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.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure all clinical staff have up to date basic life support training.

Importantly the provider should:

  • Ensure patients are aware of the translation services available.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice