Riverside Medical Practice

Updated 29 December 2022

The registered provider is Riverside Medical Practice.

Riverside Medical Practice is located at Ferry Road, Halling, Rochester, kent, ME2 1NP. The practice is situated within the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Body (ICB) and has a general medical services contract with NHS England for delivering primary care services to the local community.

As part of our inspection we visited Riverside Medical Practice, Ferry Road, Halling, Rochester, Kent, ME2 1NP and their branch surgery at Cuxton Medical Centre, 19A Wood Road, Cuxton, Rochester, Kent, ME2 1LT, where the provider delivers registered activities.

Riverside Medical Practice has a registered patient population of approximately 6,937 patients. The practice is located in an area with a lower than average deprivation score.

There are arrangements with other providers to deliver services to patients outside of the practice’s working hours.

The practice staff consists of one GP partner and one non-clinical partner, two salaried GPs, one practice nurse, one healthcare assistant, one lead administrator, one assistant administrator, as well as reception, administration and dispensary staff. The practice also employs locum GPs directly.

Riverside Medical Practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to deliver the following regulated activities: diagnostic and screening procedures; maternity and midwifery services; surgical procedures, treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Updated 29 December 2022

This practice is rated as Good overall.

The key questions at this inspection are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

The full comprehensive report can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Riverside Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Why we carried out this inspection:

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Riverside Medical Practice on 25 and 29 November 2022 as well as 1 December 2022 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

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 in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.

This included:

• Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider
• Requesting evidence from the provider
• A short site visit

Our judgement of the quality of care at this service is based 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.

Our findings:

We have rated this practice as Good overall.

• The practice’s systems, practices and processes helped keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse.
• There were systems and processes to help maintain appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
• Risks to patients, staff and visitors were assessed, monitored or managed effectively.
• The provider was responsive to our findings of issues regarding the management of legionella.
• The arrangements for managing medicines helped keep patients safe.
• The practice learned and made improvements when things went wrong.
• The provider was responsive to our findings of improvements being required to some types of patient reviews.
• Performance in relation to child immunisations and some cancer screening was in line with targets as well as local and national averages.
• Improvements to performance in relation to cervical screening was ongoing.
• Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles.
• Feedback about the practice from the national GP patient survey was positive and above local and national averages.
• There were processes and systems to support good governance.
• The practice involved the public, staff and external partners to help ensure they delivered high-quality and sustainable care.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Move clinical waste awaiting collection into rigid lockable receptacles once received from the supplier.
• Review legionella risk management to help ensure relevant Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance is followed at all times.
• Continue to monitor reviews of patients with long-term conditions to help ensure best practice guidance is followed at each review.
• Continue with plans to help increase uptake of cervical screening.
• Continue to identify patients who are also carers to help ensure they have access to relevant care and support.
• Revise complaints management to ensure the Ombudsman’s details are included in replies to all complainants.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

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

Please refer to the detailed report and the evidence tables for further information.