Updated 27 June 2017
Greenwich and Bexley association of doctors on call (GRABADOC) Healthcare Society Limited are registered with the CQC as an out of hours service providing the regulated activities of:
- Transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely;
- Maternity and midwifery services;
- Treatment of disease, disorder or injury;
- Diagnostic and screening procedures.
The provider does not currently provide out of hours services, but does offer telephone answering services and the hosting and administration of GP services on behalf of GP practices in the Greenwich and Bexley area.
The GRABADOC service is located at 394 Shooters Hill Road, Woolwich, London, SE18 4LP and operates from converted residential premises over two floors. Ground floor accommodation includes reception and waiting area with patient facilities including accessible facilities and baby change area, consulting rooms, clinical telephone assessment area, staff offices and staff facilities. The first floor has staff facilities, administrative space and a meeting room. There is secure parking for multiple vehicles at the rear of the property.
Telephone answering services are provided on an ad hoc basis as and when practices require them, for example when practices may be closed for training, with one practice also using the service on a regular daily basis from 5.00pm until 6.30pm when the practice is closed. Calls from patients are answered at the GRABADOC service by non-clinical GRABADOC staff. Patients are given advice to call back their practice when it is open for routine calls such as appointment booking, and patients requiring clinical assessment will have their details passed back to their practice on duty GP.
The service also hosts and administers GP clinical services on behalf of three local GP practices weekly on a Thursday afternoon. Patients calling their practice during the hours of 1.30pm until 6.30 pm will be diverted to or directed to call the GRABADOC service. Calls are answered by a GRABADOC call handler. Patients requiring routine, non-urgent action such as appointment booking are asked to call their practice back during normal opening hours. Patients requiring or requesting clinical assessment have their details passed to the GRABADOC GP on duty where a clinical assessment is made and treatment provided over the telephone. In cases where the GP needs to see the patient, they are asked to attend the GRABADOC service in person, or the GP can arrange to visit the patient at home.
GRABADOC services are provided on behalf of GP practices in the Bexley CCG and Greenwich CCG areas. The combined total number of patients who have access to the service is approximately 19,500 patients. In the last 12 months, the service has been accessed 57 times, including two home visits, four face to face consultations, two walk in patients and 49 telephone consultations.
The service is operated by two medical directors and a chief operating officer, supported by an operations manager, finance officer and administrative receptionist. The clinical service is provided through a bank of self-employed GPs from the local practices contracted to the service.
The service has previously been inspected by CQC in 2014 and met the required standards for the GP out of hours service being provided at that time.