Communitas Clinics

Updated 29 June 2023

Communitas Clinics (run by Communitas Clinics Ltd) delivers consultant-led community dermatology and ear, nose and throat assessment and treatment services under contract for the NHS. Patients are referred to the service by their GPs.

The service has indicated that it treats more than 500 patients a month. Children over the age of six months and adults are assessed and treated. The care is provided by consultants, GPs who have received specialist training, health care assistants and a dedicated support team.

Care is provided from 21 satellite clinics in Barking, Havering & Redbridge, Bexley, City & Hackney, Croydon, Greenwich, Hertfordshire, Sussex, Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Waltham Forest. These are all locations run by NHS GP providers. The service uses rooms, reception and chaperone staff and has access to emergency medicines and equipment under written service level agreements with the relevant GP providers.

We visited 5 of the satellite clinics for this inspection, to inspect the premises and understand arrangements for the provision of services regulated by CQC, including arrangements for medical emergencies. We did not inspect the NHS GP practices.

How we inspected this service

Before we inspection we reviewed information already held by CQC and information submitted by the provider for the inspection. We spoke to stakeholders who commission the service.

During the inspection, we received feedback from people who used the service, interviewed staff, made observations and reviewed documents.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 29 June 2023

This service is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Requires improvement

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Communitas Clinics to award a rating. The service was inspected in October 2018, when we found that it was providing care in accordance with the relevant regulations. At the time of inspecting this service in 2018, we did not have the statutory powers to rate the service.

Communitas Clinics (run by Communitas Clinics Ltd) delivers consultant-led community dermatology and ear, nose and throat (ENT) assessment and treatment services for the NHS.

The Managing Director 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.

Our key findings were:

• The service delivered care from satellite clinics in London, Hertfordshire and Sussex in spaces run by NHS GP providers.
• There were systems to assess, monitor and manage risks to patient safety. Where these were managed by the service they generally worked well. Systems at the satellite clinic sites managed by the host providers were more variable in their effectiveness.
• The service had systems and processes to ensure that these premises were safe, but they were not consistently effective.
• The provider was aware of areas of weaknesses and worked to improve them.
• The provider had systems to keep clinicians up to date with current evidence based practice. We saw evidence that clinicians assessed needs and delivered care and treatment in line with current legislation, standards and guidance.
• Staff employed by the service had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles.
• Staff treated patients with kindness, respect and compassion.
• The service organised services to meet patients’ needs. It took account of patient needs and preferences.
• Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• The service took complaints and concerns seriously and responded to them to improve the quality of care.
• Leaders had the capacity and skills to deliver high-quality, sustainable care.
• The service had a culture of high-quality sustainable care.
• There were systems and processes for learning, continuous improvement and innovation.

The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.

(Please see the specific details on action required at the end of this report).

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Develop further clinical audits in ENT to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients.
• Include information in final responses to complaints about what patients can do if unhappy with the service’s response.
• Improve oversight of systems and processes for risk management at satellite clinics.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services