The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Portland Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

184 Portland Road, South Norwood, London, SE25 4QB (020) 8662 1233

Provided and run by:
Portland Medical Centre

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Portland Medical Centre 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 Portland Medical Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

14 July 2017

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 Portland Medical Centre on 6 December 2016. The overall rating for the practice was good with requires improvement in safe. The full comprehensive report on the Month Year inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Portland Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced desk-based review carried out on 14 July 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulation 12 (1) and (2) Safe care and treatment of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) regulations 2014 that we identified in our previous inspection on 6 December 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is now rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
  • Some of the staff had not undertaken essential training appropriate to their role.
  • The practice had a comprehensive business continuity plan for major incidents such as power failure or building damage.
  • The practice had a clear system to monitor the implementation of medicines and safety alerts.
  • Clinical audits demonstrated quality improvement. The practice had undertaken two completed audits since the last inspection where the improvements were identified, implemented and monitored.
  • Four staff members had not received a recent annual appraisal; the practice provided us with reasons for the delay in performing appraisals for these staff and had identified dates for their appraisals.
  • Only 21% (12 patients) of 58 patients with learning disability had received a health check in the last year; the practice was aware of this and informed us that health checks for all these patients would be completed this year.
  • The practice documented discussions from clinical meetings.
  • Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

  • Review practice procedures to ensure systems are in place to identify when staff training needed to be updated.
  • Review practice procedures to ensure all patients with learning disability receive a regular health check.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

06 December 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Portland Medical Centre on 06 December 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events; however discussions regarding significant events were not always documented.
  • Risks to patients were not always assessed and well managed. The practice did not have a sufficiently detailed business continuity plan to manage all possible major incidents and they had not undertaken control of substances hazardous to health risk assessment and a comprehensive fire risk assessment; many clinical and non-clinical staff had not undertaken mandatory training.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.
  • 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.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.
  • 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.

There were areas of practice where the provider must make improvements:

  • Ensure that the business continuity plan is comprehensive and includes management of major incidents such as power failure or building damage.
  • Ensure that all staff have basic life support, child protection, infection control, information governance, fire safety and mental capacity act training relevant to their role.
  • Ensure that a comprehensive fire and control of substances hazardous to health risk assessments is undertaken and that recommendations following the risk assessments are actioned and details of fire drills are recorded to ensure learning for staff.

There were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

  • Review practice procedures to ensure all significant events are recorded to ensure lessons were shared to staff.
  • Review practice procedures to ensure there is a system in place to monitor implementation of medicines and safety alerts.
  • Review the quality improvement process to ensure clinical audits are regularly performed and that changes are made following the completion of audits and monitored through re-audits.
  • Review practice procedures to ensure every member of staff have an annual appraisal.
  • Review practice procedures to ensure all patients with learning disability receive a regular health check.
  • Review practice procedures to ensure there is a clear system in place for documentation of annual reviews for patients with dementia.
  • Consider documenting discussions from clinical and non-clinical meetings.
  • Ensure information on how to complain is displayed in the waiting area and that response letters have the information of external organisations that patients could contact.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice