27 September 2019
During a routine inspection
We carried out an announced inspection at Dr Morton's - The Medical Helpline on 27 September 2019. The provider is an online GP and specialist gynaecology consultation service, UK-wide with headquarters in London. This inspection was part of the digital and online providers inspection programme to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Patients register for the provider on the provider’s website to either undergo a consultation or to select the medicines they require. Patients are required to complete an online questionnaire which is reviewed by a doctor.
At this inspection we found:
- The provider had good systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When they did happen, the provider learned from them and improved their processes.
- The provider 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 treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
- Patients could access care and treatment from the provider within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
- There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
- The provider did not have a system in place to check the symptoms of patients requesting a prescription through the provider’s website. This feature was implemented after the inspection.
The provider carried out clinical audits of three telephone consultations per month at random, and three telephone consultations for each doctor as part of their assessment towards their structured reference at the time of their NHS-post appraisal. The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Continue to improve the process of obtaining patients’ consent for the provider to contact their registered.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Providers and Integrated Care