Archived: Dr Muhammad Shahzad Also known as Zain Medical Centre

Updated 23 July 2015

Dr Mohammad Shazad, also known as Zain Medical Centre, is situated in Edgware Middlesex, and is one of 35 practices within Harrow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The practice has a General Medical Services (GMS) contract for providing general practice services to the local population, and it also provides a number of Directed Enhanced Services (DES) such as Rotavirus and Shingles Immunisation and Extended Hours Access. The patient list size is approximately 2,100.

The practice is open every weekday morning from 08:30 and closes at 18:30 on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; at 14:00 on Wednesday afternoon; and 19:30 on Friday evening. Appointments are from 09:00 to 12:00 every morning; and from 16:30 to 18:30 on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoon; and 16:30 to 19:30 on Friday. Appointments must be booked in advance over the telephone, online or in person. Extended hours surgeries are offered from 18:30 to 19:30 on Friday evening. The practice has opted out of providing out-of-hours services to their own patients. Patients are advised to call an out of hours telephone number. The practice website also refers patients to the NHS Direct helpline however this service ceased operation in March 2014.

Dr Shazad is registered with the Care Quality Commission to carry on the regulated activities of Maternity and midwifery services, Diagnostic and screening procedures, Surgical procedures, and Treatment of disease, disorder or injury. This is the only location operated by this provider.

The staff team at the practice were one male GP, a female practice manager, two female nurses and three female receptionists. Dr Shazad is an approved training practice and will at times have medical students in attendance. Once a week, on Wednesdays, a female GP attends the practice to provide consultations for those patients who prefer a female doctor.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death in Harrow, both the rate of new cases and rate of death are lower than for England and London and are decreasing. It is the main cause of the gap in life expectancy in both men and women in Harrow. Diabetes, which is closely linked to cardiovascular disease, is more common in Harrow than in England as a whole due mainly to the higher prevalence in South Asian communities. It is generally well managed. Although there have been very small increases in diabetic coma and amputations in recent years, the rates for all diabetes complications are still amongst the lowest in England.

More than half of Harrow's population is from black and minority ethnic groups, making Harrow one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs in the country. The largest group, after white, is Indian. The practice has a deprivation score of 18.6, compared to the national average of 23.6.

Updated 23 July 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Dr Muhammad Shazad (also known as Zain Medical Centre) on 4 February 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. It was also good for providing services to the six population groups we inspect - People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable; Older people; People with long-term conditions; Families, children and young people; Working age people (including those recently retired and students); and People experiencing poor mental health (including dementia).

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.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles, with the exception of chaperone training for non-clinical staff.
• 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.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients (via a survey), which it acted on.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should:

• Ensure staff who act as chaperones have received appropriate training.
• Establish a patient participation group.
• Ensure staff are familiar with the practice’s vision and values.
• Ensure staff are aware of the whistleblowing policy.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 23 July 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions (LTCs). Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed. All these patients had a named GP and an annual review to check that their health and medication needs were being met.

The practice was part of the Harrow integrated care planning pilot and met monthly with a care co-ordinator to assess the needs of patients with LTCs. Patients could book to attend review clinics for chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes, and the nurses assisted the GPs with these reviews. Patients could request repeat prescriptions online and these could be sent to a pharmacy of the patients choice, provided it supported electronic prescribing.

Updated 23 July 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people. The practice provided ante and post natal care; contraceptive advice and provided sexual health advice for young people. The practice’s performance for childhood immunisations was below the national averages where comparative data was available. Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

The practice’s computer system would flag up if there were any safeguarding concerns and such patients were prioritised for appointments if they requested one. If none were available then the GP or nurse would telephone.

Updated 23 July 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Nationally reported data showed that most outcomes for patients were in keeping with the locality average for conditions commonly found in older people. The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population and had a range of enhanced services, for example in end of life care. It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs. All patients over the age of 75 had a named GP. The practice made use of the STARR team (short-term assessment, rehabilitation and re-ablement service), an initiative funded by the local CCG to help support its elderly patients.

Clinical and non-clinical staff had received carer awareness training to help them identify the needs of carers looking after elderly patients, so they could offer additional support where appropriate.

Updated 23 July 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students). The needs of the working age population, those recently retired and students had been identified and the practice had adjusted the services it offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care. Extended hours were available for appointments on Friday evenings from 18:30 to 19:30. NHS health checks were offered to patients aged 40 to 75. The practice was proactive in offering online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflected the needs for this age group.

Updated 23 July 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). Longer appointments were made available and staff involved these patients in the planning of their care. Staff sent text reminders to patients experiencing poor mental health to assist them to keep appointments. The practice provided patients with information about how to access emotional support services.

Updated 23 July 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. The practice held a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances, including carers and patients with a learning disability. Patients with a learning disability were offered annual health checks and longer appointments. Staff were aware of carers’ needs and signposted patients to support services.

Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children. Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding information sharing, documentation of safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies in normal working hours and out of hours.