We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 18 December 2017 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The Stratford Village Surgery provides Independent Health Care services under the provider Patient First Social Enterprise Limited (PFSE) that was formed to facilitate clinical care delivery from a community based setting. It is different to the Stratford Village Surgery (GP Practice) but uses rooms within the same premises for clinical and administrative purposes. IT systems management, patient clinical records, human resources records, general management such as answering patients telephone calls and governance processes are all held and undertaken at the top floor of the Stratford Village Surgery GP Practice site 50c Romford Road, London E15 4BZ.

The service is a GP led organisation in the London Borough of Newham that provides a range of clinical services for patients including cardiology, dermatology, minor surgery, gynaecology, and musculoskeletal care in partnership with GPs and hospital consultants. The Operations Manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.”

Forty nine people provided feedback about the service which indicated patients were treated with kindness and respect. Staff were described as friendly, caring and professional. Some patients commented how the use of the service had helped them with their individual care needs or described the environment as clean and tidy.

Our key findings were:

• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance and carried out a wide range of clinical quality improvement activity to improve patient outcomes.

• Staff had been trained with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Feedback from patients we spoke to, CQC patient comment cards and service survey results showed patients were satisfied with their care and treated with compassion, dignity and respect.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients we spoke with said they did not have to wait too long to access the service and there was continuity of care; however some systems for patient prescriptions entailed delays.
• The service had good facilities and was 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 the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the service complied with these requirements.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review arrangements for patients requiring prescribed medicines.
• Review to ensure clinical equipment cleaning.