Background to this inspection
Updated
21 October 2019
Doctor Today operates under the provider Doctor Today Limited and aims to provide a personalised, convenient and high quality independent health care service to its patients. The core services include family medicine, travel health, sexual health, and antenatal care.
The service is located at Doctor Today, 182 Finchley Road, London NW3 6PB and the service has a website, www.doctortoday.co.uk. There are two female doctors, both of whom are directors of Doctor Today Limited and one of whom was on a career break at the time of this inspection. There is also a clinical director who is an Accident and Emergency specialist doctor although they do not undertake any consultations at the service. The staff team is completed by a nurse prescriber, a team of two reception and administration staff and a cleaner.
The service's opening hours are:
- Monday 9:30am to 7pm
- Tuesday 9am to 7pm
- Wednesday to Friday 9am to 6pm
- Saturday 9.30am to 1.30pm
The provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission to carry on the regulated activities of maternity and midwifery services, treatment of disease, disorder or injury, and diagnostic and screening procedures. 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. Services that were provided including aesthetic procedures such as wrinkle reduction treatments and dermal fillers; and occupational health related services provided to clients under a contractual arrangement through their employer or government department are exempt by law from CQC regulation and did not fall into the scope of our inspection.
Prior to the inspection we reviewed information requested from the provider about the service they were providing. The inspection was undertaken on 14 August 2019. During the inspection we spoke with the lead doctor and a non-clinical staff member, analysed documentation, undertook observations and reviewed completed CQC comment cards.
Updated
21 October 2019
This service is rated as Good overall.
The service was previously inspected in September 2011 and January 2013 and found to be meeting the standards in place at the time. At an inspection in April 2018, inspectors found the provider had breached Regulation 12 (1) Safe Care and treatment because arrangements for premises hard wiring safety and fire safety were either not in place or not sufficiently effective, medicines and vaccines were not well managed and a number of blood sample bottles were out of date. A requirement notice was served in respect of this breach of regulation. The service was re-inspected in October 2018 to confirm the provider had taken actions to address the breach of regulations and had met the legal requirements.
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 inspection at Doctor Today on 14 August 2019 as part of our ratings inspection programme for independent health services.
Doctor Today is an independent health service based in the Finchley Road and Frognal area of North West London that provides patient consultations, treatment and referrals for adults and children. Dr Marissa Vassilliou is the registered manager and a partner doctor in the business. 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.
The provider supplies private general practitioner services predominantly to private fee-paying patients. The provider also provides services to staff employed by corporate clients.
We received 6 CQC comments cards. All comment cards were positive with patients referring to the high standard of care provided by knowledgeable and supportive staff.
Our key findings were:
- The provider had systems in place to keep people safe and to review, act and learn from significant events. We reviewed examples where the provider had made contact with the patient’s NHS GP to pass on information that was clinically necessary with the patient’s consent. We were told that, when necessary to ensure patient safety, the service would contact the patients NHS GP without consent.
- There were processes in place to effectively handle emergencies and risks were managed appropriately. Recruitment checks had been completed for the staff whose files we reviewed.
- Systems were in place for the safe management of medicines and we saw the provider had processes in place to review prescribing.
- Staff at the service assessed patients in accordance with best practice and current guidelines and had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of care provided to patients.
- There was evidence of effective joint working and sufficient staffing to meet the needs of their patient population.
- Feedback indicated patients were treated with dignity and care and the service had systems to support patients to be involved with decisions about their care and treatment.
- The service met the needs of their targeted patient demographic and there were systems in place for acting on feedback and complaints.
- The service had adequate leadership and governance in place.
- There was clear strategy and vision which was tailored to patient need and staff and patients were able to engage and feedback to the service provider.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care