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  • GP practice

Archived: Queens Avenue Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Surgery, 46 Queens Avenue, Muswell Hill, London, N10 3BJ (020) 8883 1846

Provided and run by:
Queens Avenue Practice

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 24 August 2017

Queens Avenue Practice (also known as Queens Avenue Surgery) is located in a primarily residential area of Muswell Hill, which is situated in North London. The practice is located in a converted mid-terrace house. There is a bay for parking for disabled patients in front of the surgery and a bus stop approximately ten minutes’ walk from the practice.

There are approximately 5000 patients registered at the practice. Statistics shows low income deprivation among the registered population. Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as eight on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest. 37% of those registered at the practice have a long-standing health condition, compared to the CCG average of 49% and the national average of 53%. The registered population is slightly higher than the national average for those aged between 5-14 and 35-49. Patients registered at the practice come from a variety of geographical and ethnic backgrounds including Western European and Eastern European.

Care and treatment is delivered by two GP partners including one senior partner (one male and one female) and two salaried GPs (one female and one male) who between them provide approximately 23 clinical sessions weekly. There is Practice Nurse at the surgery who carries out three sessions weekly. Three administrative/reception staff work at the practice and are led by a Practice Administrator.

The practice is open from the following times:-

• 8am – 6:30pm (Monday - Friday)

Clinical sessions are run at the following times:-

• 9am – 12pm (Monday, Tuesday)

• 8:30am – 12pm (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)

• 2pm – 3:30pm (Monday)

• 4pm – 6pm (Monday - Friday)

The practice does not offer extended hours surgery. Patients can book appointments in person, by telephone and online via the practice website.

As the practice member of a local GP federation, patients at the practice have the facility to see a GP or nurse outside of normal working hours and at the weekend. Patients requiring a GP outside of practice opening hours are advised to contact the NHS GP out of hours service on telephone number 111.

The practice has a General Medical Services (GMS) contract and conducts the following regulated activities:-

- Diagnostic and screening procedures

- Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

- Maternity and midwifery services

Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is the practice’s commissioning body.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 24 August 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Queens Avenue Practice (also known as Queens Avenue Surgery) on 7 September 2016. The overall rating for the practice was Requires Improvement. The full comprehensive report on the September 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Queens Avenue Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

At our previous inspection in September 2016, we rated the practice as Requires Improvement for providing safe and well-led services. At this time included amongst the issues we identified, was the practice did not have adequate management and storage of medicines held on site and that infection control processes were not effective enough to keep patients safe. In addition, we found that not all of the practice policies, procedures and guidance had been reviewed recently and that no staff had received recent information governance training.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 19 July 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 7 September 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection. At this inspection, we found that the practice had made improvements to provide safe and well-led services. As a result of these findings, the practice is now rated as good for providing safe and well-led services.

The change in the ratings for the key questions of safe and well-led, means that the practice is now rated as good overall.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • Risk to patients were assessed and managed correctly. For example, all vaccines kept at the practice were stored in pharmacy refrigerators.
  • The surgery had conducted a review of all policies and procedures which governed activity within the practice.
  • The practice had effective infection control processes in place and these were primarily monitored by members of the clinical team, but also by the wider team at the practice.
  • There was a clear governance structure at the practice, led by the senior GP partner who was supported by a second GP partner.
  • The practice reviewed its provision of nursing services, and as a result now employed a practice nurse who conducted sessions two times a week.
  • We saw evidence that staff had conducted relevant training such as information governance training and childhood immunisation training for clinical staff.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Working age people (including those recently retired and students)

Good

Updated 24 August 2017

The provider had resolved the concerns for safety and well-led identified at our inspection on 7 September 2016 which applied to everyone using this practice, including this population group. The population group ratings have been updated to reflect this.

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia)

Good

Updated 24 August 2017

The provider had resolved the concerns for safety and well-led identified at our inspection on 7 September 2016 which applied to everyone using this practice, including this population group. The population group ratings have been updated to reflect this.

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable

Good

Updated 24 August 2017

The provider had resolved the concerns for safety and well-led identified at our inspection on 7 September 2016 which applied to everyone using this practice, including this population group. The population group ratings have been updated to reflect this.