We carried out an announced inspection at Beech Hill Medical Practice on 9 November 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as Good with the following key question ratings:
Safe -Good
Effective -Good
Caring – Good (rating awarded at the inspection 1 June 2016).
Responsive – Good (rating awarded at the inspection 1 June 2016)
Well-led - Good
The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Beech Hill Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we carried out this inspection
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.
How we carried out the inspection
Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently.
This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.
This inspection included:
A site visit by the lead inspector.
Conducting staff interviews remotely and on site.
Completing clinical searches remotely on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider.
Reviewing patient records remotely to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider.
Requesting evidence from the provider.
Gaining feedback from staff by using staff questionnaires.
Our findings
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
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.
- Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
- The practice adjusted how it delivered services to meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.
Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:
- Continue to work with patients to encourage the uptake of cervical screening.
Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.
Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA
Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services