The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Watership Down Health

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Surgery, Station Road, Overton, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG25 3DU 0333 034 1033

Provided and run by:
Watership Down Health

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Watership Down Health on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Watership Down Health, you can give feedback on this service.

26/04/2022

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced inspection at Watership Down Health, Basingstoke, Hampshire between 19 and 26 April 2022.

At the previous inspection in January 2019 we rated the practice as requires improvement for providing safe, effective and well led services.

At this inspection, we found improvements had been made across all the areas of concern previously identified and the provider is now compliant with the regulations. We have now rated this practice as Good overall.

Safe - Good

Effective – Good

Well-led - Good

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Watership Down Health on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

Due to the reported concerns at the previous inspection in January 2019 we issued a requirement notice for Regulation 17 ‘Good governance’ and Regulation 18 Staffing.

This was because, we found they did not have effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care and staff undertaking regulatory activities did not receive the appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal necessary to enable them to carry out their duties.

We carried out an announced inspection between 19 and 26 April 2022 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection in January 2019.

How we carried out the inspection

Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, considering the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently.

This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.

This included:

  • Conducting staff interviews using video conferencing
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider
  • Requesting evidence from the provider
  • A short site visit (at Overton and Kingsclere)

Our findings

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as Good overall

We found that:

  • The practice had made significant improvements since our previous inspection in January 2019.
  • The practice was able to demonstrate staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles. Staff members were appraised annually and received appropriate supervision and training.
  • The practice had updated and merged all policies and procedures across its three sites.
  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • The practice adjusted how it delivered services to meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
  • The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.
  • Staff we spoke with reported that they felt well supported and worked in an open and friendly environment where leaders were always accessible.
  • The practice had a good and supportive relationship with the patient participation group.
  • The practice had a comprehensive strategy to manage the workforce both currently and in the future.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services

29 Jan 2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Watership Down Health on 28 January 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as requires improvement overall.

We rated the practice as requires improvement for providing safe, effective and well led services because:

  • The practice’s system to ensure safety and efficacy for medicines requiring cold storage, was not embedded.
  • The practice’s arrangements to monitor stock levels of emergency medicines was not effective.
  • Clinical equipment was not always secure.
  • The practice’s processes for mitigating risk was not always embedded.
  • The practice did not have proper oversight of staff training.
  • The process for recording and acting on Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency alerts was not consistent across all sites and actions taken were not always recorded appropriately.
  • Blank prescriptions were not logged in and out of clinical rooms to ensure stock levels are accurate.

These areas affected all population groups so we rated all population groups as requires improvement.

We rated the practice as good for providing caring and responsive services because:

  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
  • Ensure persons employed in the provision of the regulated activity receive the appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal necessary to enable them to carry out the duties.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Improve the identification of carers to enable this group of patients to access the care and support they need.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

18 February 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Overton Surgery part of the Oakley and Overton Partnership on 18 February 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

We found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led services to all population groups.

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

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
  • The practice was a 'dementia friendly' practice. All staff had training in dementia to enable them to support patients with dementia and their families appropriately. One GP had successfully accessed additional funds to improve dementia services in the locality.
  • The practice had worked with other organisations to launch a dementia befriending service for people living in the practice catchment area.
  • 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.
  • 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 SHOULD:

  • Undertake a risk assessment to review the practice procedure for departmental authorisation of the administration of patient group directions.
  • Ensure the infection control audit has an action plan to demonstrate areas identified for improvement have been acted upon.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice