The Care Quality Commission
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  • GP practice

Otford Medical Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Leonard Avenue, Otford, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 5RB (01959) 524633

Provided and run by:
Otford Medical Practice

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

The practice was last inspected on 24 January 2019 and rated as Good overall. On 18 January 2024, we carried out a targeted assessment regarding the quality statement: Equity in Access, under the key question “Are services responsive?”. This was conducted without a site visit. The purpose of the assessment was aimed to understand the current experiences of service users and examine the practice’s efforts to enhance patient access. Otford Medical Practice is located at Leonard Avenue, Otford, Sevenoaks, TN14 5RB. The practice has a branch surgery at Kemsing Surgery, West End, Kemsing, TN15 6PU. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation score within the practice population group is 9 out of 10. The lower the score, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. Latest available data shows the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 93.8% White, 2.4% Asian, 0.7% Black, 2.4% Mixed and 0.7% Other. Both sites are open Monday to Friday between 8am and 6.30pm. The practice offers face to face, telephone, video and home appointments. Extended hours are provided on Wednesdays 6.30pm to 8pm. Extended access is also provided locally by the Primary Care Network where appointments are available, including Saturdays and Sundays. A portion of the Saturday appointments are held within the practice on a rotational basis. Out of hours services are provided by NHS 111.

24 January 2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Otford Medical Practice on 24 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 good overall and good for all population groups.

We found that:

  • 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 organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. 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.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

  • Continue to monitor and maintain vulnerable patient registers.
  • Ensure that portable appliance testing is carried out as scheduled.
  • Ensure that all risks identified at Kemsing Branch Surgery are actioned to ensure patient safety.
  • Continue to monitor and maintain the processes for reviewing two week wait referrals.
  • Continue with their plan to monitor newly established protocols, which ensured safe medicines management.
  • Continue to monitor and maintain newly established processes for recording actions taken, in relation to safety alerts.
  • 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 FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice

6 August 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Otford Medical Practice on 6 August 2015. The provider operated another branch practice within the same area that was not part of this inspection. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.

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. 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. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
  • 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.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should:

  • Review the arrangements for having risk assessments readily available for staff guidance in relation to the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH).

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

20 May 2014

During an inspection of this service

20 May 2014

During a routine inspection

Otford Medical Practice is a GP practice providing primary care services for around 10,500 patients.

There are six partners in the practice, three of whom work full-time and three who work part-time. There is also two part-time salaried GPs. The partners are supported by a practice manager, a nursing team of four registered nurses and a health care assistant.

The main practice is in the village of Otford and there is a branch surgery in the neighbouring village of Kemsing – Kemsing Village Surgery.

We only visited the main site in Otford for this inspection.

As part of the inspection we talked with the local Clinical Commissioning Group, the local Healthwatch, a representative of the Patient Participation Group, patients who were at the practice on the day of the inspection, GPs, other clinical and non-clinical staff at the practice.

All of the patients we spoke with were very positive about the care and treatment they received and they were complimentary about the staff at the practice. We received positive comments from patients who had completed comment cards prior to our inspection visit. Most of these stated that they were happy with the support, care and treatment provided all staff. Patients told us they experienced difficulties in booking appointments via the telephone system in use at the practice. This was also highlighted in the patient survey in 2013. The management team of the practice has recognised this as an issue and are researching how this element of the practice can be improved.

We found that the practice was well-led and provided caring, effective, and responsive services to a wide range of patient population groups, including those of working age and recently retired, mothers with babies, young children, and young patients, older patients (over 75), patients with long-term conditions, people in vulnerable circumstances and those patients experiencing mental health problems. 

We had concerns about safeguarding as non clinical staff did not have criminal records checks via the Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) and no risk assessments were in place as to why this decision had been made.