Colchester Medical Limited Also known as North Colchester Healthcare Centre

Updated 19 July 2022

Colchester Medical Limited is located next door to Colchester Hospital :

North Colchester Healthcare Centre

Turner Road

Colchester

Essex

CO12 5JR

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

The practice is situated within the Suffolk and North East Essex commissioners and delivers a Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contract to a patient population of about 10,500. This is part of a contract held with NHS England.

The practice is part of a wider network of three GP practices in Colchester.

Information published by Public Health England shows that deprivation within the practice population group is seven (seven of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others.

According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 5.7% Asian, 88.6% White, 5.7% Black, 2.4% Mixed, and 2.4% Other.

The age distribution of the practice population is younger than local and national averages for example, Older people 5.25% at the practice 23.3% in the local area and 17.7% nationally. Working age people 68.8% at the practice 58.8% in the local area and 62.3% nationally. Young people 26.1% at the practice 19.2% in the local area and 20% nationally.

There are more male patients registered at the practice compared to females.

There is a team of six GPs including two GP partners and three salaried GPs. The practice shares 5 paramedics within the primary care network (PCN) providing telephone and face to face appointments, a part-time nurse and a healthcare assistant who provide nurse led services. The GPs are supported at the practice by the practice manager with a team of reception and administration staff.

The practice is open between 8am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday. The practice offers a range of appointment types including book on the day, telephone consultations and advance appointments.

Extended access is provided locally at the primary care network practice sites. Bookable appointments were available for patients on week days between 6:30 to 8pm and on Saturday mornings between 8am to 11am.

Out of Hours Service is available between 6.30pm and 8am Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on Bank Holidays at the Primary Care Centre in Turner Road and is accessed via the NHS 111 service.

Updated 19 July 2022

We carried out an announced inspection at Colchester Medical Limited on 29 June 2022. 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

The provider registered this location with CQC on 30 March 2020. They had not previously been inspected due to the impact on our inspection program from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Why we carried out this inspection

This inspection was a comprehensive first inspection to rate a new location.

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 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.

We have rated this practice as Good overall

We found that:

• The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
• The practice held appropriate emergency medicines and equipment to keep people safe.
• 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. Patient feedback was positive, and the GP survey results were in line with local and national findings.
• 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 way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of quality, person-centre care.

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

• Review the process to identify carers to increase the number identified and therefore increase the number of carers offered support.
• Continue to improve the uptake of childhood immunisations for measles, mumps and rubella.
• Continue to improve the uptake of cervical cancer screening.
• Develop the nursing team to provide consistent onsite nurse support for the health care assistant and to increase oversight of infection control processes.

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