Watlington Medical Centre

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection 02/2015 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Requires Improvement

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

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 – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection Watlington Medical Centre on 2 November 2017.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen, although improvement was required. Risk assessments for the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for one nurse were not in place. However, when incidents happened, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• The facilities and premises were appropriate for the services delivered.
• The practice had a robotic appliance installed in the dispensary to aid dispensing processes.
• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it. Patient feedback on access to appointments was positive, this was supported by a review of the appointment system and data from the national GP Patient Survey.
• Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles and there was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
• The practice was above average for its satisfaction scores on consultations with GPs and in line with the averages for nurses.
• The practice was a dementia friendly practice with a member of staff trained as a dementia champion and there was dementia friendly signage throughout the premises.
• The practice actively promoted equality and diversity. It identified and addressed the causes of any workforce inequality. Staff had received equality and diversity training. Staff felt they were treated equally.
• Staff we spoke with told us they were able to raise concerns and were encouraged to do so. They had confidence that these concerns would be addressed.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice had an award winning Yellow Card system in place, which identified very vulnerable patients with mental health problems. Those patients were able to obtain on the day appointments if they were in crisis, without having to explain why they needed to be seen to the receptionists.This aided the removal of any obstructions for these patients in making appointments or having the ability to attend their appointment.

The area where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Undertake an audit on infection rates for minor surgery interventions.
• Complete the hard wiring test of the premises.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice