The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • Independent doctor

Archived: GP CTS Ltd

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

1 Churchill Terrace, Chingford, London, E4 8DG (020) 8430 7024

Provided and run by:
GP CTS Ltd

Important: The provider of this service changed - see old profile

All Inspections

14 May 2019

During a routine inspection

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

21 June 2018

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 21 June 2018 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Churchill Medical Centre is an independent health service based in East London, where carpal tunnel services are provided.

Our key findings were:

  • Systems were in place to keep patients safe and safeguarded from abuse.
  • There were systems in place for clinical staff to be kept up to date with evidence based guidelines and practices.
  • Twice a year an external consultant observed and reviewed procedures being carried out by the GPs.
  • There was a comprehensive programme of quality improvement including clinical audits.
  • There were systems to update external bodies such as GPs and consultants of care and treatment being provided.
  • All members of staff were up-to-date with training relevant to their role.
  • There were comprehensive risk assessments to mitigate current and future risks.
  • Policies and procedures to govern activity were in place and reviewed annually.
  • Emergency equipment and procedures kept patients and staff safe.
  • Systems were in place to protect personal information of patients.
  • The healthcare assistants were seconded from a GP practice.
  • The service administered lidocaine and did not document the batch number in the patient record; however, post inspection we saw evidence that this process had changed.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

  • Implement a system for documenting the cleaning of clinical equipment.
  • Implement a written agreement between the service and the GP practice where the healthcare assistants are seconded from.