17 October 2019
During a routine inspection
We carried out an announced focussed inspection at Edgbaston Private Medical Practice on 2 October 2018. This was to follow up on progress made by the practice since our previous inspection on 22 November 2017 and ensure legal requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 were being met.
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
CQC inspected the practice on 22 November 2017 and asked the provider to make improvements regarding the systems and processes to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of service users and others who may be at risk. We checked these areas as part of this focussed inspection and found the provider had made the necessary improvements.
The practice provides a private general medical service to adults and children. Services include private GP consultations, child immunisations, travel vaccinations, contraceptive and sexual health services, health screening and lifestyle management.
This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of service and these are set out in Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Non-invasive cosmetic procedures provided to patients are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, at Edgbaston Private Medical Practice, we were only able to inspect the services which are not part of their aesthetics service.
The principal GP is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Our key findings were:
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 22 November 2017 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led? We previously inspected the service as part of a pilot inspection of independent health care in March 2016.
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found some areas where the service was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations. For example, risk assessments and systems for monitoring risks were not always well documented to demonstrate a comprehensive approach to identifying and managing them.
Are services effective?
We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services caring?
We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services responsive?
We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services well-led?
We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Background
Edgbaston Private Medical Practice registered with CQC under the provider organisation Lister Medical Group Ltd in June 2016. Prior to this Edgbaston Private Medical Practice was registered under the provider organisation Listers Medical Associates Ltd and was inspected as a pilot service on the 18 March 2016 for the inspection of independent healthcare organisations. At the inspection on the 18 March 2016 the service was found to be compliant against the regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Edgbaston Private Medical Practice provides a private medical service to adults and children. Services include a private general medical service, immunisations such as child immunisations and travel vaccinations, contraceptive and sexual health services, health screening and lifestyle management. The practice team consists of a principal GP, two associate GPs, a practice manager and a team of four support / administrative staff.
The practice is open for appointments six days a week between 9am and 6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Thursdays between 9am and 7pm and on a Saturday between 9am and 1pm. Appointments can be booked in person, by telephone or by email. The practice offers patients the option as a pay as you go service or through an annual subscription. In the last 12 months the service carried out 6136 consultations.
The practice is not required to offer an out of hours service. Patients who need medical assistance out of corporate operating hours are requested to seek assistance from alternative services such as the NHS 111 telephone service or accident and emergency.
This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of service and these are set out in Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The practice is part of a limited company called Lister Medical Group LTD and non-invasive cosmetic procedures are offered as part of the Edgbaston aesthetics service which is also part of Lister Medical Group Ltd. The non-invasive cosmetic procedures provided to patients under arrangements made by the Edgbaston aesthetics service are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, at Edgbaston Private Medical Practice, we were only able to inspect the services which are not arranged for patients under the Edgbaston aesthetics service.
The principal GP is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.
As part of our inspection we also asked for CQC comment cards to be completed by patients prior to our inspection. We received 48 completed comment cards where patients and members of the public shared their views and experiences of the service. Patients spoke highly of the service, they described staff as professional, helpful and friendly. They told us that they felt they felt listened to and would be happy to recommend the service to others.
Our key findings were:
The service was providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
We identified regulations that were not being met and the provider must:
You can see full details of the regulations not being met at the end of this report.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should: