Archived: Bluebell Medical Centre Also known as ELM Alliance Limited & STAR

Updated 30 April 2019

ELM Alliance Limited is commissioned by South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to operate the extended hours GP service (with appointments during the night) and out of hours service across South Tees. ELM Alliance, a federation of all GP practices within South Tees CCG, took over the operation on 1 April 2017, offering care to around 290,000 patients. The service operates extended hours appointments from 6pm until 9.30pm every day at Bluebell Medical Centre. From 9.30pm until 8am every day, the service operates an out of hours service from Bluebell Medical Centre. It offers urgent care appointments, as well as routine face-to-face and home visit appointments to patients who have been referred to it via their own GPs; or urgent care appointments by the NHS 111 service.

Updated 30 April 2019

This service is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection January 2018 – Requires Improvement)

We previously carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection of ELM Alliance Limited on 25 January 2018 and gave an overall rating of Requires Improvement. At that inspection we identified two breaches of regulations and issued a warning notice for one of the breaches. A further inspection carried out on 13 September 2018 was an announced focussed follow-up inspection, without ratings, to check whether the provider had taken steps to comply with the legal requirements for the breach of Regulation 18 Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 regarding staffing

The key questions are now rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Bluebell Medical Centre (a registered location for the delivery of extended hours and out of hours in South Tees) on 20 March 2019 as part of our inspection programme, and to follow up on a previous breach of Regulation 17 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Good Governance.

At this inspection we found:

• The service had good systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When they did happen, the service learned from them and improved their processes.
• The service 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 involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care