The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • Independent doctor

Community Specialist Services, Southern Hampshire Primary Care Alliance Headquarters (HQ)

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

35 Pure Offices, 1 Port Way, Portsmouth, PO6 4TY (023) 9241 4020

Provided and run by:
Southern Hampshire Primary Care Alliance Limited

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Community Specialist Services, Southern Hampshire Primary Care Alliance Headquarters (HQ) 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 Community Specialist Services, Southern Hampshire Primary Care Alliance Headquarters (HQ), you can give feedback on this service.

05 May 2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

This service is rated as Good overall.

At our previous inspection on 16 and 17 July 2019 we rated the service as Good overall but Requires Improvement for Safe. This was because we found a breach of regulation relating to the provision of Safe care and treatment.

This announced desk based review, carried out on 5 May 2021, was to confirm that the provider had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach of regulations that we identified at our previous inspection.

Since our last inspection on 16 and 17 July 2019, the provider had deregistered two other locations known as GPEA Services Waterlooville hub, and GPEA Services Fareham hub, Fareham Community Hospital, as those services were now centrally managed under the Community Specialist Services location. Those two services primarily provided GP extended hours services to patients living in Fareham, Gosport and South East Hampshire from Fareham Community Hospital and Waterlooville Health Centre. We previously inspected those two services on 16 and 17 July 2019 and rated them both as Good overall. However, we rated the provision of Effective services for both services as Requires Improvement. This was because we found a breach of regulation relating to Good governance at each service.

During this desk based review, carried out on 5 May 2021, we also reviewed evidence in relation to the previously registered locations known as GPEA services Waterlooville, and GPEA Services Fareham Hub, Fareham Community Hospital. This was to confirm that legal requirements in relation to a previous breach in both services had been complied with. Although we reviewed the evidence as part of this desk based review, to provide assurances to users of those services, it has not changed the ratings shown in this report. This is because the ratings in this report relate to Community Specialist Services only.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Community Specialist Services provides a phlebotomy service across the Gosport and Hayling Island areas and delivers a cardiology outpatient contract to patients living in Gosport and Fareham. It subcontracts with Portsmouth Cardiac Associates who provide specialist Consultant level medical staff in the cardiology service. Since 15 October 2020, when GPEA Waterlooville hub and GPEA Fareham hub, Fareham Community Hospital locations were deregistered, Community Specialist Services had also become responsible for the provision of extended access GP appointments in Fareham, Gosport and South East Hampshire.

During this desk based review we found that the service had made improvements since our last inspection on 16 and 17 July 2019. We found the service was now meeting the regulations previously breached and the rating for Safe has been amended accordingly.

At this desk based review we found:

  • The provider had installed a new human resources (HR) management system which facilitated close monitoring of all types of training at all levels.
  • Appropriate risk assessments were in place in relation to access to emergency medicines, health and safety and requirements relating to the premises.
  • Staff felt supported, informed and part of a team, due to instant messaging software which enabled timely communication with all colleagues.
  • The provider had installed a new clinical patient records system called EMIS web, which ran alongside other clinical systems used by local GPs such as EMIS. This meant the provider owned their own records allowing auditing and clinical reviews of records.

Since our last inspection on 16 and 17 July 2019 the service had appointed the Head of Governance, Quality and Safety as the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

16 and 17 July 2019

During a routine inspection

This service is rated as Good overall. This was the first inspection of this service.

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

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Community Specialist services, as part of our inspection programme. This was the first time we had inspected this service.

The service provides a phlebotomy service across the Gosport and Hayling Island areas and delivers a cardiology outpatient contract via Portsmouth Cardiac Associates. Services are offered at various times and locations across the Fareham and Gosport Clinical Commissioning Group and South East Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) areas.

There was no registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. The service had appointed one and they were in the process of being registered with the Care Quality Commission. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

During the inspection we collected 13 comment cards. Feedback from patients was mostly positive. Patients found the service to be convenient although there was sometimes a wait for an appointment.

Our key findings were:

  • Staff had the information they needed to deliver safe care and treatment to patients.
  • The service learned and made improvements when things went wrong.
  • Patients received coordinated and person-centred care.
  • Staff treated patients with kindness, respect and compassion.
  • The service organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs.
  • Leaders were knowledgeable about issues and priorities relating to the quality and future of services. They understood the challenges and were addressing them.
  • There were clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability to support good governance and management.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of services.
  • Assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of service users
  • Ensure that the persons providing care and treatment have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience to do so safely.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Implement systems to check the validity and risk assess the availability of emergency medicines and equipment
  • Continue with processes to register the registered manager with CQC
  • Improve frequency of staff meetings and ways of communicating with staff to ensure staff feel part of a team.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGPChief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

Our inspection team

Our inspection team was led by a CQC lead inspector. The team included a CQC Inspection Manager, a CQC team inspector, a GP specialist adviser and a practice manager specialist adviser.