Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital Also known as Urgent Treatment Centre

Updated 18 October 2019

The Queen Victoria Hospital Minor Injuries Unit and improves access services are run by Herne Bay Integrated Care, an organisation formed from the collaboration of two general practices in Herne Bay.

The services are run from:

The Minor Injuries Unit, Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital, King Edward Avenue, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 6EB which was visited during the inspection.

The minor injury/illness service provides a service run mainly by paramedic practitioners. The minor injury service is available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Sunday. The minor illness service is available from 6.30pm to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 8pm Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays. The service is only permitted to treat patients whose condition lies within strictly defined criteria.

The service is staffed by a unit manager, paramedic practitioners, health care assistants and reception staff all of whom are employed by Herne Bay Integrated Care.

The improved access service is run by GPs and nurses working for the two practices in Herne Bay for the patients of the these practices only.

The improved access service operates from 6.30pm to 8pm on Monday to Friday and at weekends. At weekends the service is open on Saturday from 10am to 1.30pm and 2.30pm to 6pm for GP appointments and from 8.30am to 10.30am for appointments with the nurse for dressings. On Sunday the GP service is available from 10am to 1.30pm. There is a nurse dressing service available on bank holidays but no GP service. Appointments are pre-booked through the patients’ own practices. This is not a walk-in service.

Currently there is no website dedicated to the services but there is a page on the Kent Help Health Now website and also on the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital website

Updated 18 October 2019

This service is rated as Good overall. (This was the first inspection of the service since its registration with CQC on 20 September 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 Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital minor injuries unit and improved access service on 05 September 2019. The inspection was carried out as part of our inspection plan.

At this inspection we found:

• The service had good systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When they did happen, the service learned from them and improved their processes.
• The service routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines.
• The service was meeting or exceeding the targets set by the commissioners.
• Staff involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Devise a more formal induction process for permanent and locum staff and retain records of inductions.
• Consider producing a dedicated website for the services.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care