Enter and View: GP Surgeries September 2019 - Bedfont Clinic

Report - 26 September 2019

Bedfont Clinic (BC) is run by Hounslow Medical Centre (HMC) which manages other GP
practices in the borough.

The practice provides NHS primary care services to approximately 5,400 patients living in the Feltham area through an Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contract (a locally negotiated contract open to both NHS practices and voluntary sector or private providers e.g., many walk-in centres).

The practice is part of Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) which consists of 54 GP practices.

Background for the visit:

The Health and Social Care Act allows Healthwatch Hounslow (HWH) Enter and View Authorised Representatives to observe service delivery and speak to patients, residents, staff, relatives, friends and carers. The visit can happen if people tell us there are concerns, but equally, the visits can take place when services have a good reputation. We can therefore learn from shared examples of what they are doing well from the perspective of the people who experience the service first-hand.

Enter and View visits are not intended to specifically identify safeguarding issues. However, if safeguarding concerns arise during a visit, they are reported in accordance with the HWH Safeguarding Policy. If at any time an Authorised Representative observes a potential safeguarding concern, they will inform their lead. The lead Authorised Representative will then end the visit. In addition, if any member of staff wishes to raise a safeguarding issue about their employer, they will be directed to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Hounslow Council’s Safeguarding Team.

On this occasion, three Enter and View Authorised Representatives attended the visit. The Authorised Representatives spoke to patients and staff. Suggestions have been made on how to improve the service and good practice has been highlighted.

HWH liaises with the CQC, Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the Local Authority (LA) to create an Enter and View Programme, as well as the information that it collects about the 3 experiences of local people. Several health and social care providers are selected to be visited to provide a sample of different services.

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