Background to this inspection
Updated
24 December 2018
North Laine Medical Centre, located in central Brighton, provides general medical services to approximately 4,170 patients. Services are provided from North Laine Medical Centre, 12-14 Gloucester Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 4EW.
There are three GP partners and one salaried GP (two male, two female), one practice nurse and one health care assistant. GPs and nurses are supported by a practice manager and a team of reception/administration staff.
North Laine Medical Centre had been working closely with their sister practice, St Peter’s Medical Centre, since 2016. In October 2018 it was announced that North Laine Medical Centre would close, and the two practices would be merging together at St Peter’s Medical Practice. This was due to take place in December 2018.
Data available to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) shows the practice population has a higher number of patients in paid work or full-time education, when compared with the average for England. The number of patients from birth to 18 years old served by the practice is slightly below the England average. The number of patients aged 85 years and over is below the England average. The percentage of registered patients suffering deprivation (affecting both adults and children) is higher than the average for England.
North Laine Medical Centre is open from Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 6pm. The practice is closed between 1pm and 2:30pm when telephones are accessible for emergencies but not routine calls.
Appointments can be booked over the telephone, online or in person at the surgery. Patients are provided information on how to access an out of hour’s service by calling the surgery or viewing the practice website .
The practice offers a number of services for its patients including; asthma clinics, child immunisation clinics, chronic disease management, smoking cessation, health checks and travel vaccines and advice.
North Laine Medical Centre is registered with the CQC to provide the regulated activities; Treatment of disease, disorder or injury; Diagnostic and screening procedures; Maternity and midwifery services.
Updated
24 December 2018
This practice is rated as inadequate overall.
(Previous rating August 2018 – Inadequate)
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Inadequate
Are services effective? – Inadequate
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Requires improvement
Are services well-led? - Inadequate
We conducted a comprehensive inspection of this practice on 31 July and 16 August 2018. Breaches of legal requirements were found in relation to the processes to safeguard children and vulnerable adults from abuse, the systems for monitoring patient health in relation to the use of medicines, the management and storage of medicines, governance arrangements and staffing. We issued four warning notices requiring the practice to achieve compliance with the regulations set out in those warning notices. A warning notice was issued against regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment), regulation 13 (Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment), regulation 17 (Good governance) and regulation 18 (Staffing) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
This inspection was a focused inspection carried out on 6 November 2018 to confirm whether the practice was compliant with the warning notices issued following the inspection on 31 July and 16 August 2018. The practice was not rated because of this inspection. Therefore, the ratings remain unchanged as this report only covers our findings in relation to the requirements set out in the warning notices.
At this inspection we found that the requirements of the four warning notices had been met.
Our key findings across the areas we inspected for this focused inspection were as follows:
- The practice had made significant improvements since our last inspection. The processes to identify, understand, monitor and address current and future risks including risks to patient safety had been revised and improved. For example, the processes to safeguard children and vulnerable adults from abuse, the systems for monitoring patient health in relation to the use of medicines, and the management and storage of medicines.
- The practice demonstrated effective systems to ensure that significant events, complaints and safety alerts were always thoroughly recorded, analysed and appropriately stored, and that learning was shared effectively with staff.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed. The practice maintained appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene. A variety of risk assessments had been completed to monitor safety and maintenance of the premises.
- The practice had taken steps to improve the overall culture and communication in the practice. There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us they felt morale had improved at the practice.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Strengthen the safeguarding processes to ensure information is consistently stored on the practice system.
- Strengthen the training provided to staff for fire safety.
- Implement the plan to destroy unwanted handwritten prescription pads.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice