Minehead Medical Centre has achieved a ‘Good’ rating in a recent inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the delivery of NHS primary care services at the practice in West Somerset.
An inspection by the CQC in December 2023 found that the previous partnership’s service was inadequate. In January 2024 OneMedicare were appointed and since then have been undertaking the management of the practice.
This recent inspection is the first with OneMedicare in place as the contract holder. Following 18 months of hard work, the team has been rewarded with a ‘Good’ rating in all five key CQC areas.
Key Highlights from the CQC report:
The CQC highlighted that the service has made significant improvements since OneMedicare were brought in as caretaker provider:
At this assessment, we found the service were working to understand their patient population and were passionate about developing and implementing systems and processes to improve health outcomes.”
They also mentioned that they did not find any elements of care not meeting the expected standard.
The NHS Friends and Family Test also showed people were satisfied with services. One example given to the CQC said:
“I have always found staff at Minehead Medical Centre to be polite, professional and helpful at all times.”
The Patient Participation Group (PPG) told the CQC that they felt the service listened to their feedback.
Background
Minehead Medical Centre had to temporarily close for appointments on Tuesday 23rd January 2024 – under the care of the previous provider. OneMedicare began to deliver the contract as caretakers on the 24th January to ensure continuity of service to the local community.
After taking over the contract, OneMedicare stabilised the service and made key improvements including a new leadership structure, more robust processes & procedures and an upgraded telephone system.
Sukeina Kassam, Director of Primary Care at NHS Somerset ICB said:
“I’m delighted with the incredible efforts of the team at Minehead Medical Centre. Their hard work and commitment to improving care have led to impressive progress in a very short time, especially after the challenges following the suspension of the previous provider. It is heartwarming to see the atmosphere within the staffing team now, which is very different from when I visited two years ago; there’s a real sense of collaboration and dedication. This rapid and positive change shows the resilience of everyone involved, and I’m excited to see how they continue to enhance the service for our patients in Minehead.”
Katheryn Antonelli, Operations Manager at Minehead Medical added:
“It certainly has been a challenge over the past 18 months but being part of OneMedicare, along with a superb team on site has meant that we have been able to rise to those challenges and achieve a GOOD CQC rating. I am very proud of the whole team!”
Rachel Beverley-Stevenson is Chief Executive and Co-Founder of OneMedical Group and OneMedicare and said:
“We recognise it’s been a challenging period for the team at Minehead, but throughout, they’ve shown real dedication to our patients. What’s been especially inspiring is how they’ve embraced being part of the wider OneMedical Group family, getting involved in internal events, living our values, and bringing a real sense of energy to the group. We’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved together and we’re excited to support our Minehead team in the next chapter of the practices journey”.
Minehead Medical Centre serves around 11,700 patients in Minehead and surrounding areas.
The full inspection report can be found here:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-18589277875
