We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Dr Sarit Patel (also known as St Katharine Docks Practice) on 19 February 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

At the previous inspection of Dr Sarit Patel on 11 February 2016 we rated the practice as good overall.

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

• what we found when we inspected;
• information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services; and
• information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as good overall and good for all population groups.

We rated the practice as requires improvement for providing safe services because:

• There were gaps in staff training in relation to safeguarding, fire safety and infection control.
• No infection prevention and control audits had been completed and there were infection control risks that the practice had not identified.
• There was no risk assessment for the storage of hazardous substances.
• Staff vaccination was not maintained in line with current Public Health England (PHE) guidance.
• Blank prescriptions were not kept securely and their use was not being monitored by the practice.

We rated the practice as good for providing effective, caring, responsive and well-led services because:

• Care and treatment was delivered according to relevant and current evidence based guidance and standards.
• The practice reviewed and monitored the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care and treatment it provided.
• There were systems for reviewing and taking action in relation to safety alerts and significant events. The practice was aware of the duty of candour.
• Patient feedback about the practice was very positive and the practice reviewed and acted upon feedback. The practice had an active patient participation group.
• The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
• Staff were supported to develop new skills and knowledge.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us they felt able to raise concerns and were confident these would be addressed.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement.
• The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality and person-centre care.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

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

(Please see the specific details on action required at the end of this report).

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review the system for logging patient complaints to ensure any learning is recorded, identified and shared with all relevant staff.
• Update the fire procedure to identify the fire marshals for the practice.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence table.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Sarit Patel’s Practice on Wednesday 11 February 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 an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• 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.
• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently and strongly positive.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with the 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• The provider should keep clinical waste secure in an enclosed place away from public access.
• The provider should take action to improve uptake of child immunisations.
• The practice should ensure agreements are in place with neighbouring practices to take care of homeless patients.
• The practice should do more to clarify access to female GPs at neighbouring practice and ensure all patients are made aware of the availability of chaperoning and translating services.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice