The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Blackthorn Medical Centre Also known as Drs McGavin, Witt, Gerhards & Lace

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

St Andrews Road, Barming, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 9AN (01622) 726277

Provided and run by:
Blackthorn 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 Blackthorn 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 Blackthorn Medical Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

14 November 2019

During an annual regulatory review

We reviewed the information available to us about Blackthorn Medical Centre on 14 November 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.

25/05/2017

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Blackthorn Medical Centre on 27 July 2016. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The practice was rated as inadequate for providing safe services, requires improvement for effective and well-led services and rated as good for providing caring and responsive services. The full comprehensive report on the July 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Blackthorn Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 25 May 2017, to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements, in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 27 July 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is now rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • All staff including nurses were trained to the appropriate level in safeguarding children.
  • The practice had systems and processes to assess and manage risks of infection, to ensure that equipment was in good working order and to ensure the safe storage of medicines.
  • The practice carried out the necessary recruitment checks prior to employing staff.
  • The practice had adequate equipment and medicines to respond to medical emergencies.
  • There was an induction programme for newly appointed staff and an overall training schedule that ensured staff received training appropriate to their roles. There was a system that ensured all staff received annual appraisals.
  • The practice had an active patient participation group and had sought feedback from patients through a patient survey which it acted on. The survey showed that patients’ awareness of online services had improved.
  • An overarching governance framework supported good quality care. There were arrangements to monitor and improve quality and identify risk.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

27 July 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Blackthorn Medical Centre on 27 July 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • There was a system for reporting and recording significant events.
  • Risks to patients, staff and visitors were not consistently assessed and well managed. For example, infection prevention and control, storage of hazardous cleaning fluids, medicines management and arrangements to respond to medical emergencies.
  • The practice was unable to demonstrate all appropriate recruitment checks were carried out prior to the employment of staff. The practice’s induction training programme was not adequate and there was no overall training plan for staff at the practice. Staff were not up to date with all mandatory training.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance and data showed patient outcomes were similar to local and national averages.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. The practice offered additional services, such as massage and counselling, free of charge to patients.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • Governance arrangements were not always effectively implemented. For example, the practice’s risk management had failed to identify all risks to patients, staff and visitors.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. However, the practice was unable to demonstrate they sought regular feedback from patients.
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the Duty of Candour.
  • The practice was leading innovation projects to meet the needs of specific groups of patients. The practice provided support and mentorship to GPs whose need for additional training had been recognised.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure the practice is adequately able to respond to medical emergencies in line with national guidance.
  • Ensure staff receive relevant induction training, annual appraisals and are supported to keep up to date with all relevant mandatory training such as safeguarding and infection control.
  • Ensure the practice follows current national guidance on the safe storage of substances hazardous to health.
  • Ensure the practice follows current national guidance on infection prevention and control.
  • Ensure identified actions are carried out to reduce the risk of the spread of legionella infection.
  • Ensure the correct storage of medicines.
  • Ensure all relevant recruitment checks are undertaken prior to the employment of all staff.
  • Ensure risk assessment and management includes all risks to patients, staff and visitors.
  • Ensure that improvements in patient care are being driven by the completion of clinical audit cycles.

In addition the provider should:

  • Improve patient awareness of online services.
  • Ensure regular feedback on services provided is sought and acted upon by the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

25 April 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Our inspection on 12 November 2013 found that patients had not always been protected from the risks of abuse, because the provider did not have suitable arrangements in place to ensure that staff who undertook chaperone duties, had the required criminal record checks in place. We found that the provider had not taken appropriate measures to ensure that the risk and spread of infection was minimised at all times. We found that patients were not protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider did not always have appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines safely.

We asked the provider to take action to address these concerns. They wrote to us confirming that all required actions had been taken to comply with the regulations regarding safeguarding patients from the risks of abuse, cleanliness and infection control, and the safe management of medicines. A planned follow-up inspection was scheduled to check that the provider had achieved compliance.

At this inspection on the 25 April 2014, we found that the provider was able to demonstrate that they had met the compliance actions set to address the areas of concern identified at our previous inspection.

12 November 2013

During a routine inspection

The centre is operated by five GPs working in partnership assisted by; a part time salaried GP, three RN's, a HCA, two management staff, four administrators, nine receptionists and five therapists.

During our visit we spoke with three GP's, the practice manager, the assistant practice manager, the lead practice nurse, administrative staff, four patients and a representative from the Patient Participation Group.

People we spoke with were happy with the care and treatment they received at the centre. People spoke highly of the staff and one person said "Booking appointments is easy, the staff here are exceptional"

We found that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment provided was discussed with patients and delivered to meet their needs. People spoke positively about their experiences of care and treatment at the practice.

We found that there were child and adult safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Staff were knowledgable and had received training in both safeguarding adults and children.

We found that people were not always protected from the risks associated with infection because appropriate procedures or equipment were not in place.

Medicines were not always kept safely, and there were no formal processes to ensure the security of medicines and prescription pads.

There were formal mechanisms and some documentation in place to indicate whether the practice was able to monitor or assure the quality of the service people received.