The Elms Medical Practice, Main Road, Hoo St Werburgh, Rochester.
The Elms Medical Practice in Main Road, Hoo St Werburgh, Rochester is a Doctors/GP specialising in the provision of services relating to diagnostic and screening procedures, maternity and midwifery services, services for everyone and treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The last inspection date here was 27th September 2017
The Elms Medical Practice is managed by The Elms Medical Practice.
Contact Details:
Address:
The Elms Medical Practice Tilley Close Main Road Hoo St Werburgh Rochester ME3 9AE United Kingdom
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Elms Medical Practice on 25 January 2017. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the January 2017 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Elms Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
This inspection was an announced focussed inspection carried out on 5 September 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 25 January 2017. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.
The overall rating for the practice is now good.
Our key findings were as follows:
The practice had revised medicines management and introduced a system to help ensure that all prescriptions were signed by a GP before the transfer of the medicine to the patient.
High risk substances found in the practice during our last inspection had been disposed of in line with guidance from appropriate bodies.
Improvements to risk management had been made and risks to patients were now being assessed and well managed.
Records showed the practice was now keeping a record of the photographic identification of all employed staff.
The practice had introduced an inventory of the emergency equipment for staff to refer to when carrying out the regular checks.
Records showed that all staff had received an appraisal within the last 12 months.
The practice had recruited one additional practice nurse who was due to commence employment in November 2017.
The practice had identified an additional 21 patients on the practice list who were also carers. The total number of identified patients on the practice list who were also carers was now 100. This represented 1% of the practice list.
The practice had continued to implement and evaluate their action plan to improve patient satisfaction with services.
However, there was also one area of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
The provider should:
Implement and evaluate the continuing action plan to improve patient satisfaction with services.
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Elms Medical Practice on 25 November 2014. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the November 2014 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Elms Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
After the inspection in November 2014 the practice wrote to us with an action plan outlining how they would make the necessary improvements to comply with the regulations.
The inspection carried out on 25 January 2017 found that the practice had responded to the concerns raised at the November 2014 inspection and had implemented their action plan in order to comply with the requirement notice issued. However, we found other breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The overall rating for the practice remains requires improvement.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
There was an effective system for reporting and recording significant events.
The arrangements for managing medicines in the practice did not always keep patients safe.
Risks to patients, staff and visitors were not always assessed and managed in an effective and timely manner.
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.
Patients we spoke with said they were able to book an appointment that suited their needs. Pre-bookable, on the day appointments, home visits and a telephone consultation service were available. Urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs were also provided the same day.
The practice was equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
The practice was unable to demonstrate they had an effective system to help ensure all governance documents were kept up to date.
There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice gathered 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 must make improvements are;
Revise medicines management and ensure that all prescriptions for controlled drugs (medicines that require extra checks and special storage arrangements because of their potential for misuse) are signed before the transfer of the high risk medicine to the patients.
Ensure that the practice is registered to keep the high risk substances that we found in the controlled drugs cabinet or continue to dispose of them in line with guidance from appropriate bodies.
Revise risk management and ensure that health and safety risks, fire safety risks and risks associated with legionella are assessed and managed in an effective and timely manner.
Revise governance processes and ensure that all documents used to govern activity are up to date.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are;
Consider keeping a record of the photographic identification of all employed staff.
Implement an inventory of the practice’s emergency equipment to facilitate accurate checking by staff.
Revise the system of appraisal in order that all staff receive an annual appraisal.
Continue with the process to recruit one additional nurse to help meet patients’ needs.
Continue to identify patients who are also carers to help ensure they are offered appropriate support.
Continue to implement and evaluate the action plan to improve patient satisfaction with services.
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Elms Medical Practice on 25 January 2017. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the January 2017 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Elms Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
This inspection was an announced focussed inspection carried out on 5 September 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 25 January 2017. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.
The overall rating for the practice is now good.
Our key findings were as follows:
The practice had revised medicines management and introduced a system to help ensure that all prescriptions were signed by a GP before the transfer of the medicine to the patient.
High risk substances found in the practice during our last inspection had been disposed of in line with guidance from appropriate bodies.
Improvements to risk management had been made and risks to patients were now being assessed and well managed.
Records showed the practice was now keeping a record of the photographic identification of all employed staff.
The practice had introduced an inventory of the emergency equipment for staff to refer to when carrying out the regular checks.
Records showed that all staff had received an appraisal within the last 12 months.
The practice had recruited one additional practice nurse who was due to commence employment in November 2017.
The practice had identified an additional 21 patients on the practice list who were also carers. The total number of identified patients on the practice list who were also carers was now 100. This represented 1% of the practice list.
The practice had continued to implement and evaluate their action plan to improve patient satisfaction with services.
However, there was also one area of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
The provider should:
Implement and evaluate the continuing action plan to improve patient satisfaction with services.
©2019 Care Services, all rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without permission of the copyright holders.
