Background to this inspection
Updated
1 April 2020
Dr Palit and Partners provides services from three premises; a main site and two branch sites. These have good transport links and have a pharmacy nearby.
Main site: Old School Surgery, Church Street, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 1HH.
Alfriston Surgery: The Furlongs, Alfriston, BN26 5XT. This surgery includes a dispensary.
East Dean Surgery: East Dean Surgery, Downlands Way, East Dean, BN20 0HR.
Dr Palit and Partners is registered with the CQC to provide the regulated activities; Treatment of disease, disorder or injury; Surgical procedures; Diagnostic and screening procedures; and Family planning.
The practice is situated in the NHS Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford Clinical Commissioning Group and provides services to 9,996 patients under the terms of a general medical services (GMS) contract.
The practice runs several services for its patients including; sexual health advice and family planning, chronic disease management, smoking cessation, health checks and travel vaccines and advice.
There are six GP partners two salaried GPs and one trainee doctor (male and female). The practice employs three practice nurses, a paramedic practitioner, a paramedic, three healthcare assistants and a phlebotomist. There is a team of three dispensers based at Alfriston Surgery. There is a business manager, a practice manager, an office manager and a team of administrative staff.
Data available to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) shows the number of patients from birth to 18 years old served by the practice is below the national average. The number of patients aged 65 years and over is above the national average. The National General Practice Profile states that 97% of the practice population is from a white background with a further 3% of the population originating from black, Asian, mixed or other non-white ethnic groups. Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as eight, on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest. Male life expectancy is above the national average of 79 years. Female life expectancy is also above the national average of 83 years.
Dr Palit and Partners is open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm. Appointments can be booked over the telephone, online or in person at the surgery. Patients are provided information on how to access an out of hours service by calling the surgery or viewing the practice website.
Patients can be offered extended access appointments from 6:15pm to 8pm from Monday to Friday and 9am to 12pm on Saturday and Sunday. Patients can also be seen at four other local practices.
When the practice is closed patients are asked to call NHS 111, which is a free 24-hour helpline to help patients access appropriate out of hours care. Alternatively, patients can be seen at the Eastbourne walk-in clinic.
Updated
1 April 2020
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Palit and Partners (also known as Old School Surgery) on 6 February 2020, because breaches of regulation were found at our previous inspection. At our last inspection in February 2019 we rated the practice as requires improvement overall. The full comprehensive report for the last inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dr Palit and Partners on our website at .
After the inspection in February 2019 the practice wrote to us with an action plan outlining how they would make the necessary improvements to comply with the regulations.
At the last inspection we rated the practice as requires improvement for providing safe services because:
- Records of identification checks were not found in all staff recruitment files.
- Risk assessments had not always been undertaken in a timely way. Action identified to mitigate risks was not always carried out.
- There was no system in place to follow up patients who did not attended for blood tests, including urgent ones.
- The provider had not carried out appropriate monitoring of patients on high risk medicines. The system for re-authorising repeat prescriptions was not sufficient.
- There was a system in place for monitoring safety alerts, however there was evidence of an alert not being actioned.
At the last inspection we rated the practice as requires improvement for providing effective services because:
- There was no system in place to monitor patient attendance following urgent cancer referral appointments for suspected cancer.
- Mandatory training was out of date in a number of areas for some clinical and non-clinical staff.
At the last inspection we rated the practice as requires improvement for providing well-led services because:
- The way the practice was led and managed did not promote the management of risk.
- Staff reported that they did not feel their concerns and views were always listened to or acted on.
At this inspection 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.
Overall the practice is now rated good. All populations groups are also now rated good.
Details of our findings
At this inspection we found:
- We saw and heard staff interacting positively with patients, who were treated with kindness and respect.
- Feedback from patients who used the service was consistently positive about the care and support they received from the practice staff.
- The practice had systems to record, investigate and monitor significant events and safety alerts. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
- The practice delivered care and treatment according to evidence- based research or guidelines.
- Staff worked well together as a team. They were positive about working at the practice and felt supported by the management team.
- Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
- Staff were developed and supported to ensure services were of high quality.
- The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care. Staff told us that the culture and morale at the practice had improved significantly.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Review and strengthen risk assessment for the use of an external defibrillator at East Dean Surgery.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care
Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.