The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Dr Bathla & Partners- Soho Road Primary Care Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

247-251 Soho Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands, B21 9RY (0121) 545 1700

Provided and run by:
Dr Bathla & Partners- Soho Road Primary Care Centre

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 Bathla & Partners- Soho Road Primary Care Centre 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 Bathla & Partners- Soho Road Primary Care Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

28/04/2022, 03/05/2022, 04/05/2022

During a routine inspection

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

30 November 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Bathla and Partners practice on 30 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.

  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

  • 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.

  • Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.

  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and they had detailed knowledge of the population groups, the clinical conditions that exist in their area and the challenges that they face.
  • The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet patients' needs.
  • The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

  • Staff competencies were assessed annually by external specialists for example, public health nurse for annual health checks, The practice initiated this quality assurance process to support staff with their personal development, to provide the management team with validation and reassurance that work was completed correctly, providing evidence of the quality of service provided. Staff told us on the day that this process gave them confidence and demonstrated that the practice were interested in their development. This initiative resulted in increased diagnosis of patients suffering with Dementia, atrial fibrillation and hypertension, with increased referrals for healthy living advice.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • The practice should continue to support patients to attend the national screening programmes.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

12 August 2014

During a routine inspection

Dr Bathla & Partners is situated at the Soho Road Primary Care Centre, Birmingham, and provides primary medical services to people in Handsworth and the surrounding areas. Access to a GP outside of practice hours is through the NHS 111 service. At the time of this inspection approximately 8200 patients were registered with Dr Bathla & Partners.

Practice staff comprised of three partners, which included two GPs and the practice manager, four other GPs, two trainee GPs, two practice nurses and several administration and reception personnel.

We spoke with 17 patients. They told us that they were happy to be registered at the surgery and expressed satisfaction at the services received.

As part of the inspection we also spoke with the Local Medical Committee which represents the GPs, the Clinical Commissioning Group which is the NHS body responsible for providing GP service, and the NHS Local Area Team, which monitors the quality of the services provided by the practice. They all told us that the practice worked with them to provide a local GP service for the population.

We found that the practice was safe, effective, caring, well led, and responsive. The practice had adequate arrangements to provide healthcare services for older people aged over 75; people with long-term conditions; mothers, babies, children and young people; the working age population and those recently retired (aged up to 74); people in vulnerable circumstances who may have poor access to primary care; and people experiencing a mental health problem.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.