Dr Bathla & Partners- Soho Road Primary Care Centre

Updated 29 June 2022

Dr Bathla & Partners is located in a modern purpose built centre at:

Soho Road Primary Care Centre

247-251 Soho Road

Handsworth

Birmingham

B21 9RY

The provider is registered with the CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities; diagnostic and screening procedures, family planning, maternity and midwifery services, surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury and surgical procedures.

The practice is located in a highly deprived area and the patient population is multi-ethnic. Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as one on a scale of one to 10. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level 10 the lowest. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 52.8% Asian, 20.2% Black, 18.5% White, 5.1% Mixed, and 3.5% Other.

The practice has a patient list of approximately 10,837 and has a General Medical Services contract(GMC) with NHS England.

The practice consists of eight GPs, three advanced clinical practitioners, an advanced nurse practitioner, two nurses, two healthcare assistants, one PCN paramedic, one PCN pharmacist and another undergoing training, one PCN social prescriber. The practice is supported by an assistant manager, a practice manager and a team of administrative and reception staff.

The practice is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6:30pm. At weekends when the practice is closed patients are directed to out of hours NHS 111 services or 999 in an emergency. The practice also offers an extended access service from 6:30pm till 8pm Monday to Thursday and on Saturday patients can access the service from 8:30am to 11:30 am. On the days the practice does not operate patients are directed to the out of hours NHS 111 service.

Due to the enhanced infection prevention and control measures put in place since the pandemic and in line with the national guidance, most GP appointments were telephone consultations. If the GP needs to see a patient face-to-face then the patient is offered a choice of either the main GP location or the branch surgery.

Updated 29 June 2022

We carried out an announced inspection at Dr Bathla & Partners - Soho Road Primary Care Centre on 28 April 2022 and 3 and 4 May 2022 as a result of a number of Whistle Blowing concerns we received. Overall, the practice is rated as Good.

The ratings for each key question are:

Safe - Good

Effective - Good

Caring - Good

Responsive - Good

Well-led – Good

Following our previous inspection on 30 December 2016, the practice was rated Good overall.

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for the Dr Bathla & Partners on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

This inspection was a comprehensive inspection which included a site visit due to concerns around clinical and non clinical staffing levels.

How we carried out the inspection

Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account 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

Our findings

We based our judgement on 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 ensured patients were 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 adjusted how it delivered services to meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
• The facilities and premises were appropriate for the services being delivered.
• The way the practice was led and managed ensured the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.
• The practice could demonstrate how they assured the competence of staff employed in advanced clinical practice, for example, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and physician associates.
• The practice ensured medicines were stored safely and securely with access restricted to only authorised staff.
• The practice had systems and processes to keep clinicians up to date with current evidence based practice.
• The practice had prioritised care for their most clinically vulnerable patients during the pandemic.
• Staff communicated with patients in a way that helped them to understand their care, treatment and condition, and any advice given.
• The practice complied with the Accessible Information Standard.
• There was evidence that complaints were used to drive continuous improvement.
• Leaders demonstrated that they understood the challenges to quality and sustainability.
• The practice encouraged openness and honesty.

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