Sheerness Health Centre

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Sheerness Health Centre (also known as Dr Patel’s Surgery) on 22 August 2023. Overall, the practice is rated as Requires Improvement.

The ratings for each key question are as follows:

Safe – Requires Improvement

Effective – Requires Improvement

Caring – Good

Responsive - Good

Well-led – Requires Improvement

Why we carried out this inspection

This inspection was a comprehensive inspection to provide the practice with their first rating since they registered with CQC in July 2020.

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sheerness Health Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

How we carried out the inspection

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 Requires Improvement overall

We rated the practice as Requires Improvement for providing safe, effective and well-led services because:

• The practice’s systems, practices and processes kept people safe and safeguarded from abuse.
• Improvements were required to ensure an effective and standardised approach was applied to the safe care and treatment of patients prescribed medicines that required routine monitoring and those with long-term conditions.
• Recruitment checks were carried out in accordance with regulations and practice policy.
• Risks to patients, staff and visitors were being routinely assessed, monitored and managed effectively.
• Systems and processes for managing and responding to significant events were effective.
• The provider carried out quality improvement activity.
• Leaders had taken action to ensure the quality, safety and performance of the service.
• The practice had processes for managing issues, risks and performance.
• Leaders were aware of all required improvements to ensure the quality, safety and performance of the service. However, further improvements were required.
• The practice’s processes for managing risks, issues and performance were effective.
• There were systems to support governance. However, these required improvement and time to be embedded in order that they operated effectively.

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

• Staff treated patients with kindness, respect and compassion.
• Staff worked together and with other organisations to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Complaints were listened and responded to and used to improve the quality of care.
• Staff helped patients to be involved in decisions about care and treatment.

We found breaches of regulations. The provider must:

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Continue with their plan to obtain staff immunity status’.
• Completing their infection control and prevention audit, as scheduled.
• Continue to monitor cervical screening and promote uptake.
• Continue to monitor performance relating to telephone access.
• Continue with sourcing a Freedom to Speak up Champion.

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 Health Care