The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Woodingdean Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Warren Road, Woodingdean, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 6BA (01273) 307555

Provided and run by:
Woodingdean Medical Centre

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: Wednesday 3 April 2024 to 23 April 2024. Woodingdean Medical Practice provides general medical services to approximately 8,900 patients from its surgery in Woodingdean, near Brighton, East Sussex. We undertook an announced targeted assessment of the responsive key question. This assessment focused on the Equity in Access quality statement. The assessment included a request for patient views via our Give Feedback on Care form on our website, a request for information from the practice, a staff questionnaire, and an interview with practice leaders. We did not undertake a site visit. During our assessment we found that people could not always access care, treatment, and support when they needed to and in a way that worked for them. We also found that the practice had not consistently sought or acted on feedback from people who used the service. Our concerns resulted in a breach of regulation 17 Good Governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment. It was noted that during the assessment the practice implemented changes to the appointment system and commenced work with the local Healthwatch organisation on patient engagement. However, our assessments and scores depend on evidence of impact and must reflect the lived experience that people were reporting at the time of assessment.

27 July 2022

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced inspection at Woodingdean Medical Centre on 27 July 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as Good.

Safe - Good

Effective - Good

Caring - not inspected

Responsive – inspected access questions only (not rated)

Well-led - Good

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Woodingdean Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

The practice was part small sample of practices currently rated Good and Outstanding we inspected to confirm the robustness our direct monitoring approach. This inspection was a comprehensive inspection that focused on the following key questions: -

  • Safe
  • Effective
  • Responsive (access questions only)
  • Well-led

How we carried out the inspection

Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, considering the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently.

This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.

This included: -

  • Conducting staff interviews using video conferencing
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider
  • Requesting evidence from the provider
  • A short site visit
  • A staff questionnaire

Our findings

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.

We found that:

  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • 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 had an active patient participation group and patient views were acted on to improve services and culture.
  • Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
  • Staff felt supported by their managers.
  • Staff had the training and skills required and were encouraged to develop in their role.
  • The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

  • Improve childhood immunisation rates so that the minimum 90% target is met for all five indicators.
  • Improve cervical screening rates so that the UKHSA 80% coverage target is met.
  • Continue to review patient access to appointments and ease of getting through on the phone.
  • Continue work to ensure all patients with a potential missed diagnosis are monitored and reviewed.

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

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services

1 October 2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Woodingdean Medical Centre on 1 October 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

We decided to undertake an inspection of this service following our annual review of the information available to us. This inspection looked at the following key questions:

  • Safe
  • Effective
  • Caring
  • Responsive
  • Well-led

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 and good for all population groups.

We found that:

  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm, however.
  • 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. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
  • The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.

The provider should:

  • Review the safety alert log so that all actions were recorded and logged appropriately.
  • Continue to review and improve the uptake of cervical smears.
  • Continue to take action to improve exception reporting and the management of long-term conditions.

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

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

23 November 2016

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

The practice was rated good overall and is now rated good for providing safe services.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this practice on 5 November 2015. A breach of legal requirements was found during that inspection within the safe domain. After the comprehensive inspection, the practice sent us an action plan detailing what they would do to meet the legal requirements. We conducted a focused inspection on 23 November 2016 to check that the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

During our previous inspection on 5 November 2015 we found the following areas where the practice must improve:

  • Ensure that action is taken as a result of the Legionella risk assessment.

  • Ensure that disposable curtains are replaced in line with infection control guidance.

Our previous report also highlighted the following areas where the practice should improve:

  • Ensure that all clinical audits are full cycle and clearly demonstrate improvements have been made as a result.

  • Ensure there is a consistent approach to care planning for patients with long term conditions and that records of care plans are kept on file, as well as being handed to the patient.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

During the inspection on 23 November 2016 we found:

  • All recommendations made in the Legionella risk assessment from May 2015 had been implemented and a further risk assessment dated 5 February 2016 showed that there were no outstanding risks.

  • Disposable curtains in clinic rooms had been replaced, in accordance with infection control guidance and practice policy, every six months. There was a schedule in place for checking and recording this.

We also found in relation to the areas where the practice should improve:

  • The practice had conducted second cycles of four clinical audits, which all showed that improvements had been made. The practice now had an on-going programme of clinical audit in place.

  • There was a consistent approach to care planning for patients with long term conditions and records of care were kept on file, as well as being handed to the patient.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

5 November 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Woodingdean Surgery on 5 November 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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 with the exception of a legionella risk assessment where the subsequent action had not yet been carried out and where disposable curtains had not been replaced within the timeframe in which they were due.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had 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.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.
  • The practice had an active Patient Participation Group who worked with staff to review patient feedback and work on projects to improve the patient experience (e.g. improving the environment for patients with dementia and an age generation project aimed at bringing together people in the community).
  • 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 Must make improvement are:

  • Ensure that action is taken as a result of the legionella risk assessment.
  • Ensure that disposable curtains are replaced in line with infection control guidance.

The areas where the provider Should make improvement are:

  • Ensure that all clinical audits are full cycle and clearly demonstrate improvements are made as a result.
  • Ensure there is a consistent approach to care planning for patients with long term conditions and that records of care plans are kept on file, as well as being handed to the patient.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice