Archived: Pimlico Health Centre

Updated 6 August 2019

The registered provider of the service is Marylebone Medical Group Limited, which is an independent provider of general medicine services from its sole location at 44 Lupus Street, London SW1V 3EB. We visited this location as part of the inspection.

The service provides general practice services which are available to any fee-paying patient of any age, with the exception of patients who were registered with the NHS GP practice in the same building that the service operates from.

The service operates using an on-demand approach which is available by pre-arranged appointment or on a walk-in basis. The service is available from 8.30am to 8pm on weekdays, and from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.

All services are provided at the service’s address. Home, telephone consultations and online appointments are not currently available.

The service has seen a total of 163 patients from 2017 to 2019, and an average of six to seven patients a month. Only three of these patients have been children. The number of patients is not spread evenly throughout the year, with peak periods in line with increased numbers of tourists during certain months. The majority of patients are tourists or those working on a temporary basis in London.

The service’s staff consists of a doctor (who is also the registered manager), a business manager and a pharmacist. No locums or agency staff are used.

The service is located in a purpose-built premises which also accommodates an NHS GP practice and a pharmacy. The building is fully accessible and a number of tube stations and bus stops are close by.

The service website address is: http://pimlicohealthcentre.com/

How we inspected this service

We reviewed information about the service in advance of our inspection visit. This included:

• Data and other information we held about the service.
• Material we requested and received directly from the service ahead of the inspection.
• Information available on the service’s website.
• Patient feedback and reviews accessible on various websites.

During the inspection visit we undertook a range of approaches. This included interviewing clinical staff, reviewing feedback from patients who had used the service, reviewing documents, examining electronic systems, and assessing the building and equipment.

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 6 August 2019

This service is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection 16 November 2017.)

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 Pimlico Health Centre on 25 June 2019 as part of our current inspection programme. We previously inspected this service on 16 November 2017 using our previous methodology, where we did not apply ratings.

Pimlico Health Centre is an independent GP service which provides private general medicine services. Services are available to any fee-paying patient of any age, with the exception of patients registered with the NHS GP practice the service operates from.

The lead doctor 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.

Due to the limited number of patients using the service near the time of the inspection we did not receive any completed CQC comment cards. We were not able to interview any patients on the day of the inspection as none attended the service.

Our key findings were:

• The service provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for recording, reporting and learning from significant events and incidents. The service had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents happened, the service learned from them and reviewed their processes to implement improvements.
• There were clearly defined and embedded systems, processes and practices to keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse, and for identifying and mitigating risks of health and safety.
• Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
• The service organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients said that they could access care and treatment in a timely way.
• The service reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines and best practice.
• Feedback made to the service indicated that patients felt they were treated with kindness and respect, and that they felt involved in discussions about their treatment options.
• Doctors had the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care