The Poplars Medical Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

We looked for evidence that staff protected people from avoidable harm and made sure care was delivered from environments that were clean and well maintained. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safeguarding during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Involving people to manage risks during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.
Contracts were in place to ensure that the premises remained safe and fit for purpose. External contractors monitored health and safety compliance by carrying out fire safety, health and safety and Legionella risk assessments, while leaders tracked and implemented the resulting recommendations. Staff and leaders conducted audits to identify, assess, and address risks. The service maintained a business continuity plan, reviewed it regularly, and outlined how it would continue operating in the event of a disruption.
 

The service made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.

The service employed a range of clinical and non-clinical roles, which included GPs, nurses, pharmacists and care coordinators. Leaders ensured staff were up to date with their training which the service had deemed mandatory and operated within their agreed areas of competence. All staff had completed mandatory training in relation to learning disabilities and autism awareness.

The service followed safe recruitment procedures when employing staff, which were in line with national legislation. This included identity checks, review of qualifications, obtaining of professional references and a criminal records check.

New staff received a structured induction programme, mentoring and probation reviews.

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

The service had cleaning schedules available, which outlined how staff should clean the building and its equipment. The service demonstrated how these were monitored for completion to maintain oversight of cleaning arrangements. This included clinical staff being responsible for cleaning equipment, hand hygiene and decontamination between patients.

During the onsite visit, we observed that the service premises and the sample of equipment reviewed were visibly clean. The service’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) lead conducted regular risk assessments and ensured that leaders implemented all actions identified through external IPC audits to maintain compliance. The IPC lead also took appropriate action to mitigate any identified risks. We noted that the most recent IPC audit achieved 100% compliance in the treatment room where the practice carried out minor surgery.

Staff completed relevant IPC training.

The service monitored workforce immunisation requirements through occupational health assessments and vaccination checks for new starters.

The practice participated in antimicrobial stewardship initiatives and monitored prescribing practices against local standards.

We did not look at Medicines optimisation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.