• Doctor
  • GP practice

Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar Also known as Dr Mathi Chandrakumar

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Sun Lane Surgery, Hythe, Kent, CT21 5JX (01303) 267102

Provided and run by:
Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar, you can give feedback on this service.

21 February 2020

During an annual regulatory review

We reviewed the information available to us about Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar on 21 February 2020. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.

18/03/2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar on 18 March 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

At the last inspection in May 2018 we rated the practice as inadequate. The practice was placed in special measures because:

• The practice did not have clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen.

• The practice did not have an effective system to manage infection prevention and control.

• The practice did not have a systematic approach for health and safety audits.

• The practice did not have reliable systems for appropriate and safe handling of medicines.

• Clinical audits did not include measurable outcomes, nor were they effectively used to drive quality improvement.

• Not all leaders were visible in the practice and there was a lack of oversight in areas such as clinical governance, risk assessments recruitment and future planning.

At this inspection, we found that the provider had satisfactorily addressed these areas.

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 rated it as good for its treatment of all the population groups, with the exception of people with long term conditions for which it is rated as requires improvement.

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 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.

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

• Improve the identification of carers to enable this group of patients to access the care and support they need.

As a result of the improvements made the practice has been re rated and removed from special measures.

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

30/05/2018

During a routine inspection

This practice is rated as inadequate overall. (Previous inspection 17 April 2015 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – inadequate

Are services effective? – requires improvement

Are services caring? – good

Are services responsive? – requires improvement

Are services well-led? – inadequate

We carried out an announced comprehensive at Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar on 30 May 2018.

At this inspection we found:

  • The practice did not have clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen.
  • The practice did not have an effective system to manage infection prevention and control.
  • The practice did not have a systematic approach for health and safety audits.
  • The practice did not have reliable systems for appropriate and safe handling of medicines.
  • Clinical audits did not include measurable outcomes, nor were they effectively used to drive quality improvement.
  • Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
  • Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
  • Not all leaders were visible in the practice and there was a lack of oversight in areas such as clinical governance, risk assessments recruitment and future planning.

The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients
  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
  • Ensure persons employed in the provision of the regulated activity receive the appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal necessary to enable them to carry out the duties.
  • Ensure recruitment procedures are established and operated effectively to ensure only fit and proper persons are employed.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Continue to review and improve the practice’s uptake for cervical screening to help ensure that national standards are met.
  • Review and improve the system for identifying and supporting carers to help ensure their needs are being met.
  • Review and improve how patients not able to attend the practice during working hours obtain information. For example, a practice specific website.
  • Review and improve the number of patients who access services online to help meet national targets.

I am placing this service in special measures. Services placed in special measures will be inspected again within six months. If insufficient improvements have been made such that there remains a rating of inadequate for any population group, key question or overall, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating the service. This will lead to cancelling their registration or to varying the terms of their registration within six months if they do not improve.

The service will be kept under review and if needed could be escalated to urgent enforcement action. Where necessary, another inspection will be conducted within a further six months, and if there is not enough improvement we will move to close the service by adopting our proposal to remove this location or cancel the provider’s registration.

Special measures will give people who use the service the reassurance that the care they get should improve.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice

07 April 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection for Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar (also known as Sun Lane Surgery) on 07 April 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good. Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. The practice was also good for providing services for older patients’, patients’ with long term conditions, families, children and young patients’, working age, those recently retired and students, patients’ who’s circumstances make them vulnerable and patients experiencing poor mental health.

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

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored appropriately reviewed and addressed and learning was routinely shared with staff.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
  • Patient outcomes were at or above average for the locality and good practice guidance was referenced and used routinely.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
  • 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 were able to book routine appointment s with the GP at a time that suited them. Urgent appointments were available the same day.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

21 October 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Our last inspection in November 2013 identified some concerns that there was no system to effectively manage staff training to ensure their practice remained up to date. Effective systems were not in place to assess and monitor the quality of care.

We carried out this follow up inspection to check that improvements had been made.

We found that since our last inspection in November 2013, there had been changes in staff and the provider had appointed a new practice manager in May 2014 and a new deputy practice manager in August 2014.

We found that the improvements required following our previous inspection had not been fully completed in that training records were still being developed. However, both the practice manager and deputy were working hard to complete the work by December 2014.

We found that staff were supported to deliver care to an appropriate standard through training, development and supervision and that effective systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of care.

6 November 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with nine patients. We spoke with non-clinical staff, including the practice manager, nurses and a GP.

Patients felt that their privacy and confidentiality were respected. They were pleased with the quality of care that they received. 'Ten out of ten' and 'very well looked after' were comments we received.

People were protected against the risks of infection. The premises were clean. One patient said the practice was, 'very fussy about hygiene'.

Staff were not supported to deliver care to an appropriate standard through training, development and supervision.

Effective systems were not in place to assess and monitor the quality of care.