Archived: Brent GP Access Centre

Updated 19 January 2018

Brent GP Access Centre is commissioned by Brent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide access to GP services for all patients without the need for a booked appointment within the north west London borough of Brent. The service is located within the Wembley Centre for Health and Care (WCHC), 116 Chaplin Road, Wembley, HA0 4UZ. The premises are maintained by NHS Property Services (NHSPS). The provider is located on the ground floor and has access to three consulting rooms and a dedicated reception/administration and waiting area.

Brent GP Access Centre is provided by Harness Care Co-operative Limited who were awarded the contract on 1 April 2017. Harness Care had previously operated the GP access service alongside a GP practice within Wembley Centre for Health and Care (WCHC). However, the contract to run the GP service was awarded to another provider following a procurement and tender process. Harness Care retained the contract to provide the GP access service and moved its location within the WCHC site. We saw adequate signage directing patients to the service and noted the provider was advising patients on its website of the move.

Harness Care was established in 2008 to provide primary care services at scale and has a membership of 23 general practices in Brent caring for 125,000 patients. Brent GP Access Centre is managed and overseen by Harness Care’s Board and management team who provide centralised governance for the service. On site the GP-led service includes a doctor and nurse clinical lead and operations manager who have oversight of the centre and a team of regular sessional GPs and nurse practitioners and administration and reception staff.

The service operates under a NHS Standard Contract to provide 84 hours of GP access per week and is open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, 365 days per year. No patients are registered at the service as it is designed to meet the needs of patients who have a minor illness or injury that is urgent, but not life-threatening. Patients attend on a walk-in basis. Patients can self-present or they may be directed to the service, for example by the NHS 111 or their own GP.

The patient activity at the GP Access Centre is approximately forty thousand patients per year.

Updated 19 January 2018

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This service is rated as Good overall. This service has not been previously inspected.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Brent GP Access Centre on 5 December 2017 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

At this inspection we found:

• The service had good systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When they did happen, the service learned from them and improved their processes.
• The service routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines.
• Staff involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Patient feedback indicated that patients were treated with care and respect and were involved in decisions about their treatment. Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• The service had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure at local and organisational level and staff told us they felt supported by management.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Maintain up-to-date records relating to facilities management undertaken by NHS Property Services (NHSPS), specifically remedial work identified from risk assessments, to be satisfied that all areas managed by NHSPS are compliant.
• Consider the infection control lead undertaking enhanced training to support them in this extended role.
• Consider the guidance of Public Health England’s ordering, storing and handling vaccines (March 2014).
• Consider how patients with a hearing impairment would access the service.
• Consider providing patient literature and posters in languages aligned to the identified patient demographic.
• Review the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 19 January 2018

Updated 19 January 2018

Updated 19 January 2018

Updated 19 January 2018

Updated 19 January 2018

Updated 19 January 2018