Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Royal Free Hospital Urgent Care Centre on 21 March 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• The majority of policies and protocols, and governance arrangements for the service were the responsibility of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for recording, reporting and learning from significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ care needs were assessed and delivered in a timely way according to need. The service met most targets specific to the urgent care centre.
• 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.
• There was a system in place that provided staff with access to patient records.
• 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 service worked proactively with other organisations and providers to develop services that supported alternatives to hospital admission where appropriate and improved the patient experience.
• The service 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 service 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:

• The service should ensure that all staff have received information governance and fire safety training.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

The Urgent Care Centre (UCC) is located next to the main Accident and Emergency Department at the Royal Free. When patients arrive at the main department they are assessed and, if appropriate, are seen in the UCC. When we visited we spoke to clinical and administrative staff. They all told us they felt they were providing a good service to patients. During the inspection we saw the department working smoothly.

People’s views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care.

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

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. When we spoke with staff from Haverstock Healthcare and from the Accident and Emergency Department they told us they felt they worked well together.

People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.

The provider had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service and others.