This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection 22 September 2015 – Good)

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

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Edenbridge Medical Practice on 28 March 2018, 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 provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• The practice had used clinical audit to drive improvements in patient outcomes.
• The practice had continued to identify and support more patients who were also carers.
• Patients reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
• The practice was equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Governance arrangements were sufficient and effectively implemented.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Monitor the effectiveness of newly implemented systems for uncollected prescriptions.
• Monitor the effectiveness of the newly implemented significant event/incident reporting policy.
• Monitor the effectiveness of the newly implemented systems for identifying trends in incidents reported and complaints received.
• Continue to monitor and improve national GP patient survey results in relation to accessing the practice by telephone, as well as the booking of appointments.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Edenbridge Medical Practice on 22 September 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.

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

• Urgent appointments were available the same day but not necessarily with a GP of their choice.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles.

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.

• The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet people’s needs.

• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the Patient Participation Group (PPG).

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.

• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. A business plan was in place, was monitored and regularly reviewed and discussed with all staff. High standards were promoted and owned by all practice staff with evidence of team working across all roles.

• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management.

However there were areas where the provider should make improvements.

Importantly the provider should:

• Review its policies in relation to infection control and prevention, whistle blowing and complaints policies, in order to ensure they contain the details of named people for lead roles and the contact details of external bodies.

• Implement cleaning schedules detailing who is responsible for cleaning which areas of the practice in order to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Edenbridge Medical Practice is a GP practice providing care for 12,100 patients.

There are four partners in the practice and a further six salaried GPs. The GPs are supported by a practice manager, a nursing team of three registered nurses and two health care assistants, and administrative staff consisting of

receptionists, clerks and secretaries

. Edenbridge Medical Practice is a dispensing practice and this is staffed by trained dispensing staff.

As part of the inspection we talked with the local clinical commissioning croup, the local healthwatch, two representatives of the patient participation group, patients who were at the practice on the day of the inspection, GPs, other clinical and non-clinical staff at the practice.

We had some concerns about the safety of medicine management at the practice. This was in relation to how emergency medicines and some medicines carried in the GPs bags were managed and the potential risks related to expired medicines.

All of the patients we spoke with were very positive about the care and treatment they received and they were complimentary about the staff at the practice. We received positive comments from patients who had completed comment cards prior to our inspection visit.  All of which stated that they were happy with the support, care and treatment provided by all staff. Patients told us they experienced difficulties in booking appointments. This was also highlighted in the patient survey in 2013. The practice management team had recognised this as an issue and had researched how this element of the practice could be improved.

Overall, we found that the practice was well-led and provided caring, effective, and responsive services to a wide range of patient population groups, however, we had some concerns about medicines management which affected all population groups.

Edenbridge Medical Practice is a GP practice providing care for 12,100 patients.

There are four partners in the practice and a further six salaried GPs. The GPs are supported by a practice manager, a nursing team of three registered nurses and two health care assistants, and administrative staff consisting of

receptionists, clerks and secretaries

. Edenbridge Medical Practice is a dispensing practice and this is staffed by trained dispensing staff.

As part of the inspection we talked with the local clinical commissioning croup, the local healthwatch, two representatives of the patient participation group, patients who were at the practice on the day of the inspection, GPs, other clinical and non-clinical staff at the practice.

We had some concerns about the safety of medicine management at the practice. This was in relation to how emergency medicines and some medicines carried in the GPs bags were managed and the potential risks related to expired medicines.

All of the patients we spoke with were very positive about the care and treatment they received and they were complimentary about the staff at the practice. We received positive comments from patients who had completed comment cards prior to our inspection visit.  All of which stated that they were happy with the support, care and treatment provided by all staff. Patients told us they experienced difficulties in booking appointments. This was also highlighted in the patient survey in 2013. The practice management team had recognised this as an issue and had researched how this element of the practice could be improved.

Overall, we found that the practice was well-led and provided caring, effective, and responsive services to a wide range of patient population groups, however, we had some concerns about medicines management which affected all population groups.