We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 17 January 2018 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Goodwin Medical Associates Limited is a private doctor consultation and treatment service. The practice is situated in central London and provides general practice family doctor services for people aged over five years. The practice opening times are Monday to Friday from 9.15am to 5.15pm.

There are two doctors working in the practice, supported by two secretaries who job share.

There are other services provided by Goodwin Medical Associates Limited, but these are out of scope for CQC registration; including occupational health services provided to employees under arrangements made by their employer, and aesthetic treatments.

Dr Stephanie Goodwin is the 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.

Twenty seven people provided feedback about the service, by completing comments cards. The feedback was all entirely positive about the care received. A key theme in the comments was the sense of continuity of care received at Goodwin Medical Associates Limited.

Our key findings were:

• 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.
• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review access arrangements and website information to meet the needs of patients; including those with a sensory disability and where English may not be a first language.
• Review the arrangements for ensuring new patients’ information was accurate.

We were not able to speak with people who used the service because as a single-handed doctor Dr Goodwin had no appointments booked during our visit so that she was free for the inspection. We saw feedback information which was collected routinely and was positive about the service provided. One person said “we had no hesitation in recommending her to our friends and family”. Another said that Dr Goodwin was “an empathetic, skilled and professional physician”.

People were cared for in a safe environment by staff who had received appropriate training and appraisal. There were procedures in place to deal with emergencies. The practice had systems to ensure that people were protected from the risk of infection.

The practice had systems for reviewing and improving the quality of the service provided. This included audit, peer and team discussions.