The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Conway Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

49 Westbourne Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 8JD (01582) 429953

Provided and run by:
Conway Medical Centre

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Conway Medical Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Conway Medical Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

20 August 2019

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Conway Medical Centre on 28 August 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

We decided to undertake an inspection of this service following our annual review of the information available to us. This inspection looked at the following key questions:

  • Effective
  • Well-led

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 provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs. The practice had developed treatment templates that were reflective of best practice guidance.
  • The practice were aware of their patient population and their specific needs particularly in relation to children with long-term and complex conditions.
  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
  • The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.
  • Data indicated that the practice was performing in line with local and national averages in most areas.
  • The uptake for cervical screening was below the 80% national target.
  • The practice had tried to sustain a patient participation group (PPG). The group currently had two members.

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

  • Continue to encourage eligible female patients to have cervical cancer screening.
  • Encourage patients to partake in bowel and breast cancer screening.
  • Continue to work with patients to sustain a PPG.

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

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

19 November 2014

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Conway Medical Centre on 19 November 2014. 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, working age people and those recently retired people in vulnerable circumstance and people experiencing poor mental health. The practice was outstanding for the service it provided to families children and young people.

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.
  • 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.
  • Complaints and comments were responded to appropriately.
  • Patients said they could make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • The practice was properly equipped to treat patients and meet their needs
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

  • The practice had developed considerable expertise in treating young people who were very ill with inherited conditions arising from this community. They provided specific, individually tailored care plans for these young patients that were overseen as part of the multi-disciplinary team arrangements. In addition the practice had participated in a ‘rapid response pathway’ pilot carried out locally that enabled direct access to the Paediatric Assessment Unit of the local hospital trust for children who were acutely ill. This pilot had led to this service being commissioned by the Clinical Commissioning Group for the current year.

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

Importantly the provider should:

  • Carry out an infection control audit and introduce regular checks to monitor the effectiveness of the cleaning contractor’s work.
  • Check that its recruitment process produces enough documentary evidence to demonstrate its diligence in recruiting staff who are safe.
  • Implement a short-term system to clear the backlog of records waiting to be filed electronically so that information about every patient is up-to-date.
  • Update the information it has available about complaints to ensure patients are fully aware of their options for making a complaint.
  • Sustain its efforts to set up and maintain an active patient participation group so that patients are able to formally contribute to the development of the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice