Broadwater Medical Centre

Updated 3 March 2017

Broadwater Medical Centre is situated in the Broadwater area of the town of Worthing. It serves approximately 12,300 patients.

There are five GP partners, one salaried GP and two long term locum GPs. Two of the GPs are female and six are male. There are five practice nurses and two health care assistants. There is a practice manager, an assistant practice manager and a team of secretarial, administrative, accounts and reception staff.

Data available to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) shows the practice serves a lower than average percentage population over the age of 65 and a slightly higher than average percentage of child and working age population for the clinical commissioning group area.

The practice is open from 8am until 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Extended access is available on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm until 8.30pm. Appointments can be booked over the telephone, on line or in person at the surgery. Patients are provided with information on how to access the duty GP or the out of hours service by calling the practice.

The practice provides a number of services and clinics for its patients including childhood immunisations, family planning, minor surgery and a range of health lifestyle management and advice including asthma management, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure management.

The practice provides services from the following location:-

5-11 Broadwater Boulevard

Worthing

West Sussex

BN14 8JE

Updated 3 March 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

The practice was rated requires improvement overall and is now rated good overall and good for providing safe, effective and well-led services.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this practice on 14 July 2016. A breach of legal requirements was found during that inspection within the safe, effective and well led domains. After the comprehensive inspection, the practice sent us an action plan detailing what they would do to meet the legal requirements. We conducted a focused inspection on 2 February 2017 to check that the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

During our previous inspection on 14 July 2016 we found the following areas where the practice must improve:

• Implement systems for assessing, monitoring and acting on risks in relation to the health and safety of patients, staff and visitors.
• Implement systems to ensure the safe management of medicines.
• Develop and implement an on-going audit programme that demonstrates continuous improvements to patient care in a range of clinical areas. Ensure there are at least two cycles of clinical audit.
• Ensure that all clinical staff receive up to date training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Our previous report also highlighted the following areas where the practice should improve:

• Ensure that information about how to complain is clearly displayed in the reception and waiting areas.
• Put measures in place to increase the number of carers known to the practice in order to ensure they receive appropriate support.
• Ensure that all staff who undertake chaperone duties have undergone appropriate recruitment checks.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

During the inspection on 2 February 2017 we found:

• That the practice had undertaken a comprehensive health and safety risk assessment of the building and that health and safety risks identified at our last inspection had been addressed.
• Arrangements were in place for the safe management of medicines.
• The practice had undertaken three first cycle audits since our last inspection and was in the process of developing an audit plan for the next year.
• All clinical staff had undertaken training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

We also found in relation to the areas where the practice should improve:

• Details about how to make comments, suggestions and complaints were clearly displayed in the waiting areas.
• All staff who undertook chaperone duties had undergone appropriate recruitment checks which included a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. (DBS checks identify whether a person has a criminal record or is on an official list of people barred from working in roles where they may have contact with children or adults who may be vulnerable.
• The practice had implemented a number of measures to increase the numbers of carers known to the practice. This included asking patients to update their carer status on the consent forms for flu vaccinations and being more vigilant when taking patient details. As a result the practice had identified 52 more carers since our last inspection.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 3 March 2017

The practice was rated as requires improvement for the care of people with long-term conditions on 14 July 2016. This rating has now changed to good

Updated 3 March 2017

The practice was rated as requires improvement for the care of families, children and young people on 14 July 2016. This rating has now changed to good.

Updated 3 March 2017

The practice was rated as requires improvement for the care of older people on 14 July 2016. This rating has now changed to good.

Updated 3 March 2017

The practice was rated as requires improvement for the care of working age people (including those recently retired and students) on 14 July 2016. This rating has now changed to good.

Updated 3 March 2017

The practice was rated as requires improvement for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) on 14 July 2016. This rating has now changed to good.

Updated 3 March 2017

The practice was rated as requires improvement for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable on 14 July 2016. This rating has now changed to good.