The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has raised the rating for the Balfour Medical Centre from inadequate to good, following an inspection in February.
The Balfour Medical Centre is a GP practice in Thurrock, run by an organisation of the same name, that provides services to a population of around 5,440.
This inspection was carried out to follow up on improvements CQC told leaders to make at their previous inspection, which found poor management had impacted the quality of people’s care. At this inspection, CQC found the practice had made sufficient improvements in all aspects and they are no longer in breach of regulations.
CQC has raised the practice’s overall rating from inadequate to good, as well as for how safe, effective, responsive, and well-led they are. CQC has raised the practice’s rating for caring from requires improvement to good.
Hazel Roberts, CQC deputy director of operations in the east of England, said:
“When we inspected the Balfour Medical Centre we were very pleased to see they’d made significant improvements since our last inspection. Leaders had established a positive culture that promoted high-quality, person-centred care that was regularly improved based on people’s feedback.
“We found leaders had provided staff with the training and support they needed to meet people’s needs safely, and improvements had been made to the management of people’s medications which meant people were much safer as a result.
“Staff made sure people could understand information about their care, so they could give informed consent, and adapted care to match their needs. Staff placed digital flags in people’s care records to highlight individual needs, such as for people needing a translator at appointments.
“The practice had also improved people’s access to appointments since our last inspection, such as by implementing a new telephone system and including extended appointments for people with learning disabilities.
“We found leaders encouraged staff and people using the practice to speak up about concerns. When things had gone wrong or people submitted complaints, leaders had investigated thoroughly and made changes alongside other staff to improve people’s care in future. For example, the practice had successfully introduced in-house blood tests to reduce wait times for blood test results based on people’s feedback.
“Everyone at the practice should be proud of the improvements they’ve made. We’ve shared our findings with them and will continue to monitor the service to ensure these improvements to people’s care are embedded and sustained.”
Inspectors found:
- People inspectors spoke to during this inspection who used the practice said they felt involved in planning their care and were treated with kindness and respect by staff.
- Staff were confident in responding to safeguarding concerns to protect people.
- The practice had no backlog in referrals and worked well with other health services to ensure people received joined-up care.
- Staff ensured the practice and equipment were well-maintained and clean to protect people from risks of infection.
- The practice supported people to live healthier lives where possible, such as through initiatives to help people stop smoking or handle obesity.
- Staff and leaders worked to reduce barriers to care for groups who could experience discrimination or inequality, such as by ensuring people without a fixed address could register for care.
- Staff said leaders were approachable and supportive, including through opportunities to further develop their skills.
- Leaders supported continuous improvements to the practice, such as an ongoing quality improvement plan to increase the take up of childhood immunisation services.
However:
- While significant improvements had been made to the monitoring of care for people with long-term health conditions, inspectors found a small number of people hadn’t received the required monitoring. Clinical staff were already aware of some of these and took action to resolve this during the inspection.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the coming days.
