The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Riverside Medical Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Ferry Road, Halling, Rochester, Kent, ME2 1NP (01634) 240238

Provided and run by:
Riverside Medical Practice

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Riverside Medical Practice on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Riverside Medical Practice, you can give feedback on this service.

25 and 29 November 2022 as well as 1 December 2022

During a routine inspection

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.

15 November 2016

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Riverside Medical Practice on 10 May 2016. Breaches of the legal requirements were found.

  • The practice’s systems, processes and practices did not always keep patients safe and safeguarded from abuse.

  • Risks to patients were not always assessed and well managed.

  • Governance arrangements were not always effectively implemented.

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.

We undertook this focussed inspection on 15 November 2016, to check that the practice had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements. At our focussed follow-up inspection on 15 November 2016, the practice provided records and information to demonstrate that the requirements had been met. 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 Riverside Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

10 and 16 May 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Riverside Medical Practice on 10 and 16 May 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system for reporting and recording significant events.
  • The practice’s systems, processes and practices did not always keep patients safe and safeguarded from abuse.

  • Risks to patients were not always assessed and well managed.

  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
  • Patients 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 had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • Governance arrangements were not always effectively implemented.
  • 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 and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure national guidance on infection prevention and control are followed.
  • Revise medicines management to ensure that blank prescription forms and pads are tracked through the practice, Department of Health guidance is followed when storing vaccines and blood thinning medicines are dispensed safely.
  • Revise risk assessment and management to include all infection control, control of substances hazardous to health and fire risks.

  • Revise governance processes and ensure that all documents used to govern activity are up to date.

In addition the provider should:

  • Consider recording dispensary near misses to help reduce the risk of repeating errors in the future.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice