The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • Independent doctor

Avicenna Health

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Hamletts of Woodford, Chigwell Road, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 8AL (020) 8712 5565

Provided and run by:
Avicenna Health Limited

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Avicenna 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 Avicenna Health, you can give feedback on this service.

15 May 2019

During a routine inspection

This service is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection February 2018)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Location name Avicenna Health as part of our inspection programme.

Avicenna Health is a private GP service which also provides home visits based in Woodford Essex.

One of the medical directors is also 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.

We were unable to speak to any patients on the day of the inspection. Eleven comment cards were received all of which were positive about the care and treatment received. All patients said they felt involved in decision-making about the care and treatment they received. They told us they felt listened to and supported by staff and had sufficient time during consultations to make an informed decision about the choice of treatment available to them.

Our key findings were:

  • Systems and processes were in place to identify and mitigate risks.
  • Lessons were learned and improvements made when things went wrong.
  • Staff had the skills and knowledge to carry out their roles and ensured they remained up to date with current best practice.
  • Patients spoke directly to a GP who triaged requests for appointments. If it was felt that the service was not appropriate for the patient, they would be signposted to the most suitable service.
  • GP and out of hours home visits were available if required.
  • Staff treated patients with dignity and respect.
  • There was a proactive approach to understanding the needs of different groups of people and to ensure they received the care to best meet their needs.
  • Staff had the skills and knowledge to carry out their roles and ensured they were up to date with current best practice.
  • The provider collaborated with external stakeholders to ensure patient needs could be met.
  • The practice demonstrated that there was a focus on continuous improvement which was developing services.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Improve monitoring of fridge temperatures in line with recommended best practice.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

12 February 2018

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 February 2018 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

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

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 service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Avicenna Health Limited is a private medical clinic situated in Woodford in the London Borough of Redbridge. Services are provided to patients from the first floor of the Hamletts of Woodford building which houses a range of other services such as pharmacy, skin clinic and a spa facility. It is on a busy road which is well served by local buses and London Underground.

The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the following regulated activities from: Hamletts of Woodford, 696-702 Chigwell Road, Woodford Green, Essex,IG8 8AL.

  • Diagnostic and screening,
  • Treatment of disease, disorder and injury,
  • Transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely.

Avicenna Health was previously registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the name Home Visit Doctors and has been providing services to patients since 2015. CQC registered Avicenna Health on 30 January 2018 to carry out the aforementioned regulated activities from their present location. General practice services are provided by three male and two female doctors. Administrative tasks are undertaken by individual doctors. The service sees 15 patients on average each month and maintained and stored comprehensive clinical records for all patients. Patients who require further investigations or any additional support are referred on to other services such as their NHS GP or alternative health providers.

Avicenna Health also offers a private blood testing service which is undertaken by a sub-contracted phlebotomist who had received the relevant training and qualification. Patients who are given a test request form from their GPs can contact the service to request private blood test in their homes. The phlebotomist sends the blood sample to the hospital who will send the result directly to the patient’s GPs.

The service’s opening hours are between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays. Appointments are available with a doctor between 9.30am and 5.30pm (Monday to Friday) and 9.30am to 12.30pm (Saturday). The service also offers telephone advice to their member patients.

One of the doctors 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:

  • There was evidence in place to support that the service carried out assessments and diagnostics in line with relevant and current evidence based guidance and standards.
  • The information needed to plan and deliver care and treatment was available to staff in a timely and accessible way.
  • There was evidence to demonstrate that the service operated a safe and timely referral process.
  • The provider operated safe and effective recruitment procedures to ensure staff were and remained suitable for their role.
  • Staff understood the relevant consent and decision-making requirements of legislation and guidance, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
  • The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour.
  • The arrangements for managing medicines, including emergency medicines and vaccines, in the practice minimised risks to patient safety.
  • There were adequate systems for reviewing and investigating when things went wrong.
  • The practice complied with the Data Protection Act 1998 and all staff had received training in information governance.
  • The service had a complaints policy and procedure and information about how to make a complaint was available for patients.
  • There was no evidence the service undertook any clinical improvement activity such as clinical audit.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

  • Review and update the business continuity plan.
  • Review how patients with mobility issues and those who are fully reliant on a wheelchair can access the service.
  • Review the risk assessment for emergency equipment in line with the service provided.
  • Review the service’s fire safety arrangements.
  • Consider implementing a programme of quality improvement activity.
  • Review the service’s communication channels so that they are more accessible.
  • Continue to review the arrangements for providing a chaperone for patients who request one.