Mile Oak Medical Centre was previously inspected on 21 July 2015 and was rated as good overall and for safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services.

At this inspection on 20 March 2018 the practice is rated as good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) – Good

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.

• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.

• Staff involved and treated patients with warmth, compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

• Patients said they were able to book an appointment that suited their needs. Pre-bookable, on the day appointments, home visits and phone consultation services were available. Urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs were also provided the same day.

• There was an active patient participation group in place. The practice had made improvements to services as a result of feedback from patients

• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation. The practice worked closely with other services in order to provide and improve care for their patient populations.

• Staff were positive about working in the practice and were involved in planning and decision making.

• Patient survey results were positive and higher than average in a number of areas.

The area where the provider should make improvement is:

• Review the systems for submitting data for the national childhood vaccination programme.

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 Mile Oak Medical Centre on 21 July 2015. 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.
• 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Mile Oak Medical Centre provides general medical services to 7,465 patients who live in and around the town of Portslade in East Sussex. Its opening hours are 8.30 am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday and also on a Thursday from 6pm to 8pm for patients who cannot attend during normal working hours.

We spoke with four patients on the day of our inspection and had feedback from 15 patients who had completed comment cards that CQC left in the waiting area before the inspection. All the feedback we received form patients was positive. The service was consistently described as caring, helpful and professional. All the patients we spoke with said they would recommend the practice to their family and friends.

We found that the practice had arrangements in place to ensure that the care it provided to patients was effective and safe. Clinical staff implemented best practice guidelines in delivering care and treatment and regularly participated in clinical audit and peer review. The practice had effective policies and procedures in place for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, which meant that patients were protected from the risk of avoidable abuse and harm. However we found that the practice had not always undertaken appropriate recruitment checks for all staff.

The practice responded to patient feedback. There was a patient group and the practice actively sought comments and complaints from patients and implemented improvements as a result.

The staff we spoke with were all happy working at the practice. They said they received training and felt well supported in their roles. We saw that clinical and managerial leadership arrangements were clearly defined.

Mile Oak Medical Centre provides general medical services to 7,465 patients who live in and around the town of Portslade in East Sussex. Its opening hours are 8.30 am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday and also on a Thursday from 6pm to 8pm for patients who cannot attend during normal working hours.

We spoke with four patients on the day of our inspection and had feedback from 15 patients who had completed comment cards that CQC left in the waiting area before the inspection. All the feedback we received form patients was positive. The service was consistently described as caring, helpful and professional. All the patients we spoke with said they would recommend the practice to their family and friends.

We found that the practice had arrangements in place to ensure that the care it provided to patients was effective and safe. Clinical staff implemented best practice guidelines in delivering care and treatment and regularly participated in clinical audit and peer review. The practice had effective policies and procedures in place for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, which meant that patients were protected from the risk of avoidable abuse and harm. However we found that the practice had not always undertaken appropriate recruitment checks for all staff.

The practice responded to patient feedback. There was a patient group and the practice actively sought comments and complaints from patients and implemented improvements as a result.

The staff we spoke with were all happy working at the practice. They said they received training and felt well supported in their roles. We saw that clinical and managerial leadership arrangements were clearly defined.

Mile Oak Medical Centre, Chalky Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 2WF