The Bush Doctors

We carried out an announced inspection at The Bush Doctors from 8–10 June 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as Good.

Safe - Good

Effective – Good

Caring - Good

Responsive - Good

Well-led - Outstanding

We have not previously inspected this service.

Why we carried out this inspection

The practice was newly registered in 2018 following the formation of the H&F Partnership which provides the service. This inspection was a comprehensive inspection covering all key questions.

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
• Talking to patient representatives and other stakeholders by telephone interview.

Our findings

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
• Information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as Good overall

We rated the practice as Outstanding for providing a well-led service because:

• The leaders inspired staff to provide high quality care that met patients’ complex needs.
• The partnership had redesigned the organisation of clinical care to provide a more holistic service to patients with complex needs.
• There was strong collaboration across teams, practice sites and with external stakeholders to improve the quality of care and the patient experience.
• Staff told us they received excellent support and encouragement from colleagues and leaders.
• There were opportunities and pathways for staff to develop specialist knowledge and leadership skills.
• There was a focus on learning, research and innovation and a willingness to experiment and pilot new ideas for the benefit of patients.

We rated the practice as Good for providing safe, effective, caring and responsive services because:

• The practice provided care in a way that kept patients 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.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

• Continue work to increase the uptake of childhood immunisations and cancer screening programmes in line with national targets.
• Explore alternative ways to obtain useful feedback from patients about their experience of the service.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services