The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Abbey Field Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Ypres Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 7UW (01206) 517106

Provided and run by:
Abbey Field Medical Centre

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile
Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: 16 July to 6 August 2024. We assessed 22 quality statements across safe, effective, responsive, and well-led key questions and have combined the scores for these areas with scores based on the rating from the last inspection, which was good. Though the assessment of these quality statements indicated a new area of concern since the last inspection, overall, the practice is rated good, and all key questions are rated as good. At this assessment, we found there was a culture of learning from safety events and when things went wrong, staff acted to ensure people remained safe. People received effective care and treatment that met their needs. Arrangements were in place to respond to the individual needs of people and practice leaders continued work to improve equity in access. The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality care. Effective arrangements were in place for partnership working and for improvement and innovation. However, we found improvements were needed to ensure medicines were managed safely. We found 1 breach of regulation for medicines optimisation. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment. Abbey Field Medical Centre is a GP practice in Colchester, with 2 branch sites nearby in Greenstead and Elmstead Market, which has a dispensary. There were approximately 21,808 people registered with the service at the time of our assessment. Deprivation within the practice population group is in the fourth lowest decile (4 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others.

04/12/2018

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Abbey Field Medical Centre on 04 December 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

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 have rated this practice as good overall and good for all population groups.

We found that:

  • 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 provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from preventable 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.
  • Patient satisfaction was very low in relation to access to the practice via the telephone for an appointment and positivity about making an appointment.
  • The practice listened to their patients and organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs.
  • Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
  • The practice continually audited and developed the services they provided to ensure patient outcomes and satisfaction was improved.
  • The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.
  • Leaders had the capacity and skills to deliver high-quality, sustainable care.
  • Staff told us they felt supported, valued and that management listened to their opinions.
  • There was a focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

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

  • Improve the identification of carers to enable this group of patients to access the care and support their need.
  • Ensure rooms that store medicines are monitored to check the temperature is within normal ranges to keep medicine safe for use.
  • Improve patient satisfaction in relationship with access to the practice via the telephone for a positive experience to gain an appointment.

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

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP Chief Inspector of General Practice

17 June 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Abbey Field Medical Centre on Wednesday 17 June 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people living in vulnerable circumstances, and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

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

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed especially in relation to staff welfare.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
  • 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.
  • Patients reported to us confusion and difficulty making an appointment with a GP. The practice had trialled a number of appointment systems in an attempt to increase the accessibility of the service. They had decided on an appointment system and were working with the Patient Action Group to increase awareness with patients of the new system and the reasons for the changes.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff had confidence in the practice management team and felt supported and encouraged by them. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it listened to and acted on.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should;

  • The practice should adhere to their complaints policy and advise patients of appeals process and the details of the Health Service Ombudsman and advocacy services.
  • Ensure that staff receive appropriate training in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, fire safety and infection prevention control.
  • Ensure the practice maintains meeting records of clinical performance discussions

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice