The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Archived: Dr NJ Bhatt

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Health Centre, Victoria Road, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE37 2PU (0191) 416 8567

Provided and run by:
Dr Nandkishor Bhatt

All Inspections

12 January 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr NJ Bhatt on 12 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Appropriate background checks should be carried out when employing new staff, including obtaining photographic identification, and copies of these should be kept in personnel files.


Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

18 March 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

The purpose of our visit was to follow up on previous non-compliance at the practice. We did not speak to people about the service on the day of our visit.

We found that people were protected from the risk of infection because appropriate guidance was being followed. Staff were supported to deliver care and treatment to an appropriate standard.

We saw that the provider had systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.

17 September 2013

During a routine inspection

We spent time observing the way the practice worked and spoke to patients and staff. Patients told us they were treated with care and respect and we saw positive exchanges between patients and staff. One person said the staff were 'Friendly, approachable'. They said they had often needed an emergency appointment and they had always been seen within 24 hours. Patients we spoke with said they felt safe and staff we spoke with understood safeguarding procedures.

We saw that the practice actively sought the views of patients through comments boxes and patient participation group and changes to the service had been implemented as a result of the feedback. However the provider did not have an effective system in place to monitor the quality of service.

We found the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

The practice was not up to date with infection control policies and procedures. There was no clear understanding by staff of the roles and responsibilities in reducing the risk of cross infection.

Staff had received training however some basic training had not been carried out for some time.