Archived: GP CTS Ltd

Updated 28 June 2019

This service is provided by GP CTS Ltd. GP CTS Ltd operates out of Churchill Medical Centre, which is based in Chingford in East London. This location is shared with a GP practice and other community services. The service has a small car park at the front, accessed via controlled entry.

The service consists of two GPs, one independent clinical governance lead, three extended scope practitioners, three healthcare assistants and one service administrator. The service treats on average between 400 to 500 patients each year.

This service is open at this location on a Tuesday between 8:30am and 11am for outpatient appointments and operates from another location (Chingway Medical Centre, 7 Ching Way, London E4 8YD) on a Wednesday between 8:45am and 12pm and Thursday between 9:30am and 12pm for surgical procedures.

All services provided are for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. The service is provided to over 18-year olds only. Patients are referred where necessary to other providers as well as back to the patients’ own GP.

The website address is: www.gpcts.co.uk . The provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission to carry out the regulated activity of treatment of disease, disorder or injury at this location.

We completed an inspection on 14 May 2019. Our inspection team was led by a CQC lead inspector and included a GP specialist adviser.

Before visiting, we reviewed a range of information including:

• Information we hold about the service.
• Information requested from the provider about the services they were providing.

During our visit we:

• Looked at the systems in place for the running of the service.
• Explored how clinical decisions were made.
• Viewed a sample of key policies and protocols which related to regulated activities.
• Spoke with staff involved in the regulated activities.
• Checked the environment and infection control measures.
• Reviewed CQC comment cards which included feedback from patients about their experiences of the service.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 28 June 2019

This service is rated as Good overall. (At the previous inspection completed on 21 June 2018 – we found that the service was providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at GP CTS Ltd as part of our regulatory function. This inspection was planned to check whether GP CTS Ltd were meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

GP CTS Ltd is an independent health service based in East London, providing carpal tunnel services commissioned by an NHS provider.

The administrative manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We received feedback about the service through comment cards from 10 people. People told us that staff were caring, friendly and professional. They told us they were treated with dignity and respect.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems in place to keep patients safeguarded from abuse.
• Most staff were employed via a permanent secondment arrangement from the GP service within the premises that operated out of. However, the independent health service had no evidence of assurances that staff were appropriately qualified, DBS checked and had received up to date training in essential areas.
• Clinical staff were kept up to date with evidence-based guidelines.
• There was a programme of quality improvement and a system to provide external clinical support and review.
• There were systems in place to ensure effective communication with the patient’s own GP and other health care professionals.
• Staff were caring and treated patients with dignity and respect.
• Patients were given information in a variety of ways to ensure that they fully understood their options and any procedures.
• The service was flexible within its hours of operation, to meet the needs and wishes of patients regarding appointment scheduling.
• The service used information regarding clinical outcomes to ensure that high quality and safe treatment was provided to patients.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Implement a system to evidence assurance that seconded staff have appropriate recruitment checks and necessary ongoing qualifications, training and indemnity insurance.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

​Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care