The Care Quality Commission
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  • GP practice

Archived: Dr Atindranath Sikdar Also known as Teynham Medical Cantre

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

Teynham Medical Centre, 72 Station Road, Teynham, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 9SN (01795) 521948

Provided and run by:
Dr Atindranath Sikdar

All Inspections

21 July 2016

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Atindranath Sikdar on 5 May 2015. Breaches of the legal requirements were found. Following the comprehensive inspection, the practice wrote to us to tell us what they would do to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting ‘all reports’ link for Dr Atindranath Sikdar on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

We undertook this focused inspection on 21 July 2016 to check that the practice had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • There was an effective system for reporting and recording significant events and staff understood their responsibilities with regard to reporting significant events.
  • All staff had Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and all staff who acted as chaperones had been trained for the role. However, we found that other essential training, such as safeguarding, fire safety and information governance had not been completed.
  • The practice did not store controlled drugs securely.
  • Emergency medicines were available and were stored together, checked regularly and the practice kept records of these checks.
  • Vaccines were administered by nurses using directions that had been produced in line with legal requirements and national guidance.
  • The practice had carried out clinical audits but was unable to demonstrate that these had led to improvements in the quality of care.
  • The practice was unable to demonstrate they were following national guidance on infection prevention and control.
  • The practice’s performance for childhood immunisations was low.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure staff receive mandatory and other relevant training including safeguarding, fire safety, information governance and Mental Capacity Act training.
  • Ensure national guidance on infection prevention and control is followed.
  • Revise medicines management to ensure that controlled drugs are stored securely in line with current legislation.
  • Ensure that completed clinical audit cycles are driving quality improvement.
  • Make efforts to improve the uptake of childhood immunisations.
  • Ensure the practice is compliant with the requirements of data protection legislation.
  • Monitor and improve the quality of services provided. For example, childhood immunisations, referral rates and mental health medication activity.
  • Actively encourage the development of a patient participation group.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

5 May 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Atindranath Sikdar on 5 May 2015. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

Specifically, we found the practice to require improvement for providing safe, effective, and well led services. It was good for providing responsive and caring services. The concerns that we found regarding providing safe, effective and well led services applied across all the population groups. We therefore found that the practice required improvement for providing services for older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia)

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. However there had been incidents that had not been reported because there was lack of clear understanding as to what constituted an incident that ought to be reported. The Information about safety that was received was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
  • Some medicines used in medical emergencies were not readily available. There were no directions for nursing staff on the administration of vaccines.
  • Data showed patient outcomes were average for the locality. Although some audits had been carried out, there was no evidence that audits were driving improvement in performance to improve patient outcomes.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • Appointments were usually available on the day they were requested and urgent appointments were available on the day.
  • The practice had a number of policies and procedures to govern activity, these had been reviewed and were in date. The practice held regular and well managed staff meetings but there was little monitoring of clinical governance issues,

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • The provider must ensure that emergency medicines, in line with current guidance, are available at the practice.
  • The provider must ensure that there are directions, produced in line with legal requirements and national guidance, to enable nursing staff to administer immunisations and vaccinations.
  • Ensure audits of practice are undertaken, including completed clinical audit cycles.
  • Ensure there are formal governance arrangements in place and staff are aware how these operate.

In addition the provider should:

  • Formalise infection prevention control measures to include cleaning schedules.
  • Review and plan training for staff.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice