24 May 2021
During an inspection looking at part of the service
This service is rated as Requires improvement overall. (Previous inspection 06 2019 – Requires improvement)
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Requires improvement
Are services effective? – Requires improvement
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? – Good
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Bexley Health Neighbourhood Care GP Hub (BHNC GP Hub) at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup on 24 May 2021. This inspection was carried out as part of our inspection programme and to follow up on breaches of Regulation 12 Safe care and treatment and Regulation 17 Good governance.
How we carried out the inspection
Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, considering 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 and questionnaire
- Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider
- Requesting evidence from the provider
- A short site visit
Our findings
- The service had risk management arrangements in place, although some were only recently established.
- The service took a responsive approach in dealing with safety incidents, learning from them and using them to improve their processes, but the preventative element to incidents management was not in place.
- The service did not routinely review the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. This meant they could not be consistently assured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
- Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:
- Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care