Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Richford Gate Medical Centre on 1 and 2 October 2014. The overall rating for the practice was good but we rated the practice as requires improvement for providing safe services. The full comprehensive report on the October 2014 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Richford Gate Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection, undertaken to check on improvement, was an announced comprehensive inspection on 17 November 2016. The practice is again rated as good overall and is now rated good for providing safe services.

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 been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• The majority of patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 improvement are:

• Ensure all clinicians are aware of the practice’s updated policy on antibiotic prescribing.

• Review the system for the identification of carers to ensure all carers have been identified and provided with support.

• Consider reactivating the hearing loop in reception.

• Communicate the practice mission statement to staff and patients.

• Consider the introduction of a formal ongoing programme of quality improvement, including clinical audit.

• Re-establish regular meetings of the patient participation group (PPG).

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

Richford Gate Medical Centre provides primary medical services to approximately 10,200 patients in the Goldhawk Road area of West London. This is the only location operated by this provider.

We visited the practice on 1 and 2 October 2014 and carried out a comprehensive inspection of the services provided.

We rated the practice as ‘‘Good’ overall; ‘Good’ in four domains in asking if the service is caring, effective, responsive and well-led; and ‘Good’ for the care provided to five of the six population groups we looked at including: older people; people with long-term conditions; working age people (including those recently retired and students); people living in vulnerable circumstances; and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). We rated the practice as ‘Requiring Improvement’ under the safe domain and for the population group families, children and young people.

Our key findings were as follows:

The practice provided an effective, caring, responsive and well led service. Patients’ needs were suitably assessed and care and treatment was delivered in line with current legislation and best practice. We saw from our own observations and heard from patients they were treated with dignity and respect. The practice understood the needs of its patients and was responsive to them. The practice was well-led, had a clear ethos that put patients first and was committed to providing the best possible service to them. There was an open culture and staff felt supported in their roles.

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

The provider should:

• Ensure all staff receive up to date training in child protection and safeguarding of vulnerable adults;
• Arrange infection control refresher training for all staff, in line with the practice’s infection control policy;

• Undertake more effective monitoring and review of the outcome of clinical audits to ensure the completion of the full audit cycle; and
• Hold more regular formal, minuted administrative staff meetings, to help in keeping track of agreed actions and in reviewing progress at subsequent meetings.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice