The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

The Bridges Medical Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

26 Commercial Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 7DW (01305) 774411

Provided and run by:
The Bridges Medical Practice

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Bridges Medical Practice 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 The Bridges Medical Practice, you can give feedback on this service.

15 November 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced focused inspection at The Bridges Medical Practice on 16 November 2022. We inspected three key questions: Safe, Effective and Well-led. Ratings for Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection in October 2017.

The practice is rated as good overall.

We have rated the domains as:

Safe - Good

Effective - Good

Caring - Not inspected, rating of Good carried forward from a previous inspection (2017)

Responsive - Not inspected, rating of Good carried forward from a previous inspection (2017)

Well-led - Good

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Bridges Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

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 in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.

This included:

  • Conducting staff interviews using video conferencing
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider
  • Requesting evidence from the provider
  • A short site visit
  • A Staff Questionnaire

Our findings

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We found that:

  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
  • The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.
  • Staff had completed training appropriate to their role.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

  • Continue to improve cervical screening uptake.
  • Implement formal clinical supervision for non medical prescribers and clinicians working within advanced roles.
  • Complete an annual appraisals for all staff.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services

28 September 2017

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We undertook a comprehensive inspection of The Bridges Medical Practice on 2 December 2016. The practice was rated as requires improvement in the well led domain and good in safe, effective, caring and responsive domains. The overall rating for the practice was good. The full comprehensive report following the inspection on 2 December 2016 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Bridges Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection of The Bridges Medical Practice on 28 September 2017. The inspection was carried out to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 2 December 2016. 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.

Our key findings were as follows:

The practice had suitable governance arrangements and systems for assessing and monitoring risks and the quality of the service provision.

  • There were appropriate systems and processes in place to ensure prescription stationery was kept securely, logged and its usage tracked.

  • Records showed that training was planned for and there were completed records of training provided to staff, with dates identified for refresher training in line with practice policy.

  • Appropriate checks had been carried out with regard to safety of the premises used for the regulated activities.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

2 December 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the Bridges Medical Practice on 2 December 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • Risks to patients were mostly assessed and well managed.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. The performance of the practice was monitored through audits and action plans.
  • The practice provided effective systems to facilitate prompt cancer screening and diagnosis through appropriate routes.
  • Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • The practice was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

There were areas of outstanding practice:

  • There were innovative approaches to providing integrated person-centred pathways of care that involved other service providers, particularly for people with multiple and complex needs.
  • One of the GPs partners had written a business plan for the development of a dedicated elderly care service aimed at hospital admission avoidance and supporting patients living in residential homes. The practice had audited visits for urgent needs to residential homes and demonstrated a 65% reduction in urgent visits. A further audit in 2016, showed that 95% of patients using this service who died, had done so in their preferred place of death and in accordance with their care plan. The practice participated jointly with other practices in the area to provide funds for two GPs and a nurse to provide this service.
  • One partner GP had developed a business case for a community pharmacist to visit older patients with complex needs to complete medicines reviews on an ongoing basis. An audit demonstrated that between November 2015 and August 2016, 465 patients registered at the practice were reviewed by the pharmacist, leading to improvements in medicines being prescribed, cost savings, and positive feedback from patients and GPs.

The area where the provider must make improvement is:

  • Systems to monitor and document the quality and safety of the service must be reviewed to ensure all aspects of governance are assessed

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Ensure that documentation to track blank prescriptions through the practice contains all relevant information.
  • Introduce further systems to monitor and record that training is undertaken in line with practice guidance.
  • Ensure that appropriate checks have been undertaken in all premises used for regulated activities.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice