Background to this inspection
Updated
7 May 2021
Central Surgery is located in Westcliff on Sea in Southend on Sea in Essex at:
183-195 North Road
Westcliff On Sea
Essex
SS0 7AF
The practice has a branch surgery at:
Thorpe Surgery
38 Acacia Drive
Thorpe Bay
Essex SS1 3JX
The provider is registered with CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities; diagnostic and screening procedures, maternity and midwifery services and treatment of disease, disorder or injury, family planning and surgical procedures. These are delivered from both sites.
The practice is situated within the Southend Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and delivers Personal Medical Services (PMS) to a patient population of about 5,375 patients. This is part of a contract held with NHS England.
Information published by Public Health England report deprivation within the practice population group as four on a scale of 1 to 10. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level 10 the lowest.
The practice provides services for a higher than national average number of over 65-year olds. Male life expectancy for patients at the practice is 78 years, which is a year less than the local and national averages.
The practice is governed by an individual male GP. He is supported by a full-time female salaried GP and a full-time male salaried GP. There is also a practice nurse and a healthcare assistant employed by the practice. Administrative support consists of a practice manager, reception, administrative and secretarial staff.
Due to the enhanced infection prevention and control measures put in place since the pandemic and in line with the national guidance, most GP appointments were telephone consultations. If the GP needs to see a patient face-to-face then the patient is offered a choice of either the main GP location or the branch surgery.
Extended access appointments are provided by the surgery on Monday evenings until 8.50pm, out of hours services for evening and weekends can be accessed by calling the surgery or 111.
Updated
7 May 2021
We carried out an announced focused desk top inspection at Central Surgery on 27 April 2021. Overall, the practice is rated as good. The practice is rated:
Safe - Good
Effective - Good
Caring - Good
Responsive - Good
Well-led - Good
Following our previous inspection on 4 March 2019, the practice was rated Good overall and for all key questions except for providing effective services where the practice was rated requires improvement. The practice was rated requires improvement for providing effective services to three population groups; people with long-term conditions, families children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students).
The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Central Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Why we carried out this inspection
This inspection was a focused review of information without undertaking a site visit to follow up effective services including any breaches of regulations or ‘shoulds’ identified in the previous inspection.
How we carried out the inspection
Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account 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 remotely, evidence was requested from the provider and reviewed remotely. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.
Our findings
We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:
- what we found during the desk top focused inspection
- 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 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.
- Patients with long term conditions had been monitored and reviewed in line with national and local guidance throughout the pandemic. Patient outcomes were now in line with local and national averages and exception reporting had been reduced.
- The practice had improved the uptake of their childhood immunisations for the majority of their vaccinations and were in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) national targets.
- The practice had improved outcomes for patients with long term conditions.
- Although the uptake of cervical cancer screening had improved since the previous inspection verified data showed the practice had not achieved the 80% target rate. Unverified data provided by the practice showed they were in line with current national targets.
- Reception staff had received appropriate training and the practice continued to monitor their feedback.
- The practice regularly reviewed equipment for dealing with clinical emergencies and had all appropriate equipment at both practice sites including spare pads for the defibrillator and the availability of a paediatric oximeter.
- Although the practices antibiotic prescribing was higher than local and national averages, data trends shows they had reduced their antibiotic prescribing since the beginning of the pandemic. Unverified data also showed an improvement in antibiotic prescribing.
- Systems for recording consent were reviewed and in line with practice policies.
Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:
- Continue to review the uptake of their childhood immunisation and cervical cancer screening.
- Continue to monitor antibiotic prescribing.
Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care