The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Archived: Brackley Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

77 Halse Road, Brackley, Northamptonshire, NN13 6EQ (01280) 702436

Provided and run by:
Brackley Medical Centre

All Inspections

6 April 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Brackley Medical Centre (formerly known as Washington House Surgery) on 30 July 2015. The overall rating for the practice was Good however a breach of legal requirements was found. After the comprehensive inspection, the practice wrote to us and submitted an action plan outlining the actions they would take to meet legal requirements in relation to:

  • Regulation 12 (RA) Regulations 2014, Safe care and treatment.
  • Regulation 19 (RA) Regulations 2014, Fit and proper persons employed.

The full comprehensive report of the inspection on 30 July 2015 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Brackley Medical Centre (formerly known as Washington House Surgery) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

This inspection was a desk-based focused follow up inspection carried out on 6 April 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach in regulation that we identified in our previous inspection on 30 July 2015. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is now rated as ‘Good’.

From the inspection on 30 July 2015, the practice was told they must:

  • Strengthen arrangements for the secure storing and recording of non-refrigerated medicines.
  • Improve monitoring arrangements for the controlled drugs received and used by the GPs.
  • Introduce a system that would identify if a blank form for hand written prescriptions was missing or used inappropriately.
  • Introduce Disclosure and Barring Service checks or risk assessments for non clinical staff including three staff trained as a chaperone to determine the need for such checks.

We also told the practice that they should make improvements to the follows areas:

  • To the way staff were appraised. At the time of the inspection the practice programme for staff appraisals was behind schedule.

  • To the way staff received infection control training. At the time of the inspection, reception, administration and GP staff had been excluded from infection control training and a risk assessment on why those staff did not require the training had not been completed.

Our key findings from the April 2017 inspection were as follows:

  • The practice had made the necessary changes to their procedures and was now compliant with the requirements of regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) and Regulation 19 (Fit and proper persons employed) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

  • The practice confirmed that the programme for staff appraisals had been completed and confirmed all staff has had an appraisal in the past 12 months.

  • The practice confirmed that the requirements for infection control training had been reviewed and all practice staff had received infection control training in the last 12 months.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

30 July 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced inspection of Washington House Surgery on 30 July 2015. This was a comprehensive inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act (2008) as part of our regulatory functions. The practice achieved an overall rating of good. Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. We found it to be requiring improvement for safe. It was good for providing services for older people; people with long-term conditions; families, children and young people; working age people; people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • Systems were in place to identify and respond to concerns about the safeguarding of adults and children.
  • We saw patients receiving respectful treatment from staff. Patients felt they were seen by friendly and helpful staff. Patients reported feeling satisfied with the care and treatment they received.
  • The practice offered a number of services designed to promote patients’ health and wellbeing and prevent the onset of illness.
  • The practice acted upon best practice guidance to further improve patient care.
  • The management and meeting structure ensured that appropriate clinical decisions were reached and action was taken.
  • Some systems to ensure the appropriate management of medicines were lacking or not fully implemented.
  • Adequate recruitment procedures including completing the required background checks on staff were lacking.

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

Importantly, the provider must:

  • Ensure a coordinated approach to medicines management and that medicines are stored securely and within their expiry dates. Ensure the recording of stock of controlled drugs is completed properly and a process is in place that would identify if a form for hand written prescriptions was missing or used inappropriately.
  • Ensure adequate recruitment procedures are in place including completing the required background checks on staff and that the required information is available in respect of each person employed.

In addition the provider should:

  • Ensure that all staff are supported by receiving appropriate supervision and appraisal.
  • Ensure that systems designed to assess the risk of and to prevent, detect and control the spread of infection are fully implemented and audited appropriately. Staff should be trained in relation to infection control processes and procedures.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice