Sentinel Healthcare South West CiC

This service is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection May 2019 – good overall and in all domains).

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 at Sentinel Healthcare South West CIC on 4 June 2019, as part of our inspection programme.

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.

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.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of the provision of diagnostics and screening, minor surgery and the treatment of disease, disorder and injury.

The service was accessible to people who were referred to use it. Some services were provided on behalf of NHS services. For example, diabetic education, support services for GP practices and the facilitation of healthcare apps for patients with long term conditions. Some services were private, for example, minor surgery which is no longer provided on the NHS.

As part of the national emergency response associated with COVID19, Sentinel had been redeployed to run hot hub centres in West Devon in order to provide much needed support to General Practice and the wider health system, and to alleviate the pressure on 999 services.

The service had a 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 with patients on the day of the inspection but looked at comments received by the service on the activities carried out. All comments were positive.

Our key findings were:

• The service had safety systems and processes in place to keep people safe. There were systems to identify, monitor and manage risks and to learn from incidents.
• There was an effective system for reporting and recording significant events. The service had systems in place to identify, investigate and learn from incidents relating to the safety of patients and staff members.
• Complaints had been dealt with in line with the regulations.
• Staff told us that their morale was good, that they felt supported by the leadership and involved in decision making at the service.
• Regular team meetings were held and there was an online training system for staff.
• There were systems, processes and practices in place to safeguard patients from abuse.
• Staff had the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to deliver the care and treatment offered by the service.
• Staff treated patients with compassion, respect and kindness and involved them in decisions about their care.
• There was a clear strategy and vision for the service. The leadership and governance arrangements promoted good quality care.
• Procedures were managed safely and there were effective levels of patient support and aftercare advice.
• The service had processes in place to securely share relevant information with others such as the patient’s GP, NHS organisations, safeguarding bodies and private healthcare facilities.
• The service encouraged and valued feedback from patients through internal surveys and a feedback function on their website.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care