This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous rating July 2015 – Outstanding overall; Safe Good, Effective Outstanding, Caring Good, Responsive Outstanding, Well-led Outstanding)
The key questions at this inspection are rated as:
Are services safe? – Requires Improvement
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 The Waterloo Medical Centre on 27 November 2018. This inspection was carried out under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
At this inspection we found:
- The practice generally had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
- The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
- Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
- The practice was sensitive to the needs of the patient population and tailored services in response to those needs.
- Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported they were able to access care when they needed it.
- There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
We saw areas of outstanding practice:
- The practice was sensitive to the needs of young people. They had appointed a named member of staff as a first point of contact for these patients.
- Clinicians at the practice offered a sexual health clinic for all patients in the local area. This clinic was held at different times in order to maximise attendance and staff offering the service were able to share learning with other clinicians in the practice to increase their skills.
The area where the provider must make improvements is:
- Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Review processes used to enrol patients in the practice patient participation group (PPG) to establish and engage with a new PPG.
- Document discussions with new staff members in relation to pre-existing health conditions.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice
Please refer to the detailed report and the evidence tables for further information.