We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Beacon Medical Services on 11 October 2017. The full comprehensive report from this inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Beacon Medical Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Our key findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was now providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 13 April 2018 to confirm that the service had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection 11 October 2017. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Beacon Medical Services is an independent provider of GP services and offers a range of services to patients to both adults and children. The practice has a patient population of 500 patients. The practice offers general medical services for their population and is based on the outskirts of Doncaster town centre.

The provider, Don Hezseltine, is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide services at Beacon Medical Services, 3 Heather Court, Shaw Wood Way, Doncaster, DN2 5YL.

The property is rented by the provider and consists of a patient waiting room, an administration office and a consulting room in a single storey building. There are car parking spaces outside the practice for patients, including a disabled parking space.

The practice holds a list of registered patients who reside in England who require services. 

The practice is open from 8am until 6pm Monday to Friday. An out-of-hour’s service is provided at the request of the patient and accessed via the dedicated telephone number.

Our key findings were:

• The service had reviewed the systems and processes to minimise risks to patient safety. For example, an infection prevention and control audit had been completed and actions taken in accord with the findings.
• Staff had undertaken infection prevention and control and safeguarding updates and chaperone training was planned.

• The arrangements for managing medicines, including emergency medicines and vaccines, in the service had been reviewed to minimise risks to patient safety.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 11 October 2017 at Beacon Medical Services to ask the service the following key questions; are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of the services it provides.

Beacon Medical Services is an independent provider of GP services and offers a range of services to patients to both adults and children. The practice has a patient population of 500 patients.

The practice offers general medical services for their population and is based on the outskirts of Doncaster town centre.

The provider, Don Hezseltine, is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide services at Beacon Medical Services, 3 Heather Court, Shaw Wood Way, Doncaster, DN2 5YL. The property is rented by the provider and consists of a patient waiting room, an administration office and a consulting room in a single storey building. There are car parking spaces outside the practice for patients, including a disabled parking space.

The practice holds a list of registered patients who reside in England who require services.

As part of our inspection we reviewed 48 Care Quality Commission comment cards where patients and members of the public shared their views and experiences of the service. All of the 48 comment cards we received were extremely positive about the service experienced. Patients reported the practice offered an excellent service and staff were caring, understanding, professional and supportive and treated them with much dignity and respect. They also told us that the environment was clean and hygienic. Patients told us they received information to help them make informed decisions about their care and treatment.

The practice is open from 8am until 6pm Monday to Friday. An out-of-hour’s service is provided at the request of the patient and accessed via the dedicated telephone number.

Our key findings were:

• There was an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. 
• Most risks to patients were assessed and managed with the exception of infection prevention and control and medicines management.
• The practice held a register of policies and procedures which were in place to govern activity.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.
• Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• 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.

We identified regulations that were not being met and the provider must:

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

In addition the provider should:

• Implement a business continuity plan.

You can see full details of the regulation not being met at the end of this report.

We spoke with people who used the service over the telephone. They told us they had received a good standard of care. One person told us, "Excellent care, very high standards, can't fault it." Another person said, "Excellent, brilliant with the children, I have no concerns."

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. People who used the service told us they were provided with sufficient information to make a decision about their care and treatment. They said they could ask for further information if required. One person said, "Very good at explaining things, I always feel I have been informed."

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. We found treatment was centred on people who used the service and considered all aspects of their individual circumstances and their immediate and long term needs. People we spoke with confirmed their treatment plans were developed with them and reflected their needs, preferences and diversity.

People’s health, safety and welfare was protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment, or when they moved between different services. This was because the provider worked in co-operation with others. There were systems in place for the referral of people to other healthcare providers where required. Appropriate information was shared to enable care and treatment needs to be met. The provider told us they would liaise with other services to plan the provision of care.

People were cared for in a clean, hygienic environment. People we spoke with raised no concerns about hygiene. They said they saw the provider wearing protective clothing and washing their hands before providing treatment.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. Records showed the provider received appropriate professional development.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained. There were procedures in place and followed, to ensure people's records were monitored and reviewed.

People told us that they were “Very happy and satisfied with the service” they received from Dr Hezseltine at Beacon Medical Services. We have included some specific comments we received from the people under outcome areas we checked on the day of our inspection.