- GP practice
Balfour Medical Centre
Report from 26 February 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Balfour Medical centre is registered with CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities: diagnostic and screening procedures, maternity and midwifery services, treatment of disease, disorder or injury, and surgical procedures. The practice is situated within the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) and delivers General Medical Services (GMS) to a patient population of about 5,440. This was an inspection to check whether improvements had been made following our previous inspection. This service was rated as Inadequate at the previous inspection in July 2023 and there was a breach of Regulation 17 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Good Governance. Since the last inspection, the practice had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations. The practice had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. The facilities and equipment were well maintained, and any risks were mitigated. Staff made sure patients understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Patients were involved in planning their care and were provided information they could understand. Patients were treated with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. Patients spoke positively about the support and care staff offered to them. The practice supported staff wellbeing. Staff treated patients without discrimination. Patients access to appointments had improved since the previous inspection due to the measures implemented by leaders, including the installation of a new telephone system. Leaders had clear and effective governance processes. Leaders were visible and knowledgeable, and helped staff develop in their roles. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and knew who was accountable for each aspect of the service. Staff were very positive about the leadership and told us they felt listened to and supported.
The provider demonstrated that the range of improvements that had been made were embedded, and the rating has improved to Good.
People's experience of this service
Recent survey results from the National GP Patient Survey 2024 showed people were not always positive about their overall experience of the surgery. However, the results had generally improved since the previous year. In response to the survey data, staff had carried out a number of patient surveys for the surgery and these focused on the areas highlighted in the National GP Patient Survey results. A recent patient survey conducted by the surgery in January 2025 reported a patient satisfaction rate of 92.4%. We reviewed other sources of patient feedback including the Friends and Family Test data, Give Feedback on Care responses, feedback on the NHS website, and during the site visit we held patient face to face conversations. Feedback from the Patient Participation Group (PPG) highlighted they were listened to, valued and had seen positive changes to improve patient experiences. The PPG work with the provider to understand, better reflect and respond to patient needs. Feedback was positive overall. Staff felt supported and considered the leadership as positive. We reviewed feedback received from staff sent directly to the Care Quality Commission and conversations in person and face to face during the site visit. Staff reported a positive experience of the service.