We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Sandringham Medical Centre on 8 March 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

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, requires improvement for providing safe services and good for all population groups.

The practice is rated as requires improvement for providing safe services because:

Although there were some systems to ensure the safe care and treatment of patients, recruitment systems for GP locums required improvement. We found that not all the necessary up to date recruitment documentation required such as, revalidation information, indemnity certificates and identification was available. We also found that identification checks for locum GPs starting work at the practice were not always taking place.

The practice is rated as good for providing effective, caring, responsive and well led services because:

• Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
• Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
• The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. We were informed that the practice had identified that patients were not satisfied with the appointment system and a new triage system had recently been introduced with further plans to improve the telephone system.
• The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.

The provider must:

• Ensure specified information is available regarding each person employed.

The provider should:

• Ensure all nursing staff receive level three safeguarding training.
• Update the locum induction information to include where emergency equipment and medicines are kept.
• Increase the number of carers identified by the practice to help support them.
• Update the practice website.
• Ensure there is a separate area away from the reception desk for staff to answer telephone calls, so that reception staff can concentrate on meeting the needs of patients at the reception desk.
• Continue to evaluate the appointment and telephone system to ensure changes introduced meet patients’ needs.

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

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Sandringham Medical Centre on 11 February 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• The practice was clean and tidy and had good facilities including disabled access, car parking and access to translation services.

• There were systems in place to mitigate safety risks including analysing significant events and safeguarding.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current legislation.

• 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. The practice sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service; including carrying out surveys and having a patient participation group (PPG) and acted, where possible, on feedback.

• Staff worked well together as a team and all felt supported to carry out their roles. The practice encouraged training and staff were supported to further their careers.

There was an element of outstanding practice:

• Patients had an option of using an automated telephone booking service from midnight on the same day to avoid having to call at 8am to get an appointment.

However, the areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Have a monitoring system in place for any blank prescriptions still in stock.

• Update documented risk assessments in place for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH).

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice