Enter & View Report: Albion Health Centre
What is Enter and View?
One of Healthwatch Tower Hamlets’ statutory functions is to carry out Enter and View visits to Health and Social care service providers in the borough, under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
Enter and View visits can be arranged if people tell us there’s a problem with a service but equally, they can also occur when services have a good reputation – so we can learn about what they do well from the perspective of people who experience the service first hand.
During the visit, we observe service delivery and talk with service users, their families, and carers. We also interview management and staff regarding their views of the service provided. The aim is to get an impartial view of how the service is operated and being experienced.
Following the visits, our official ‘Enter and View Report’, will be shared with the service provider, local commissioners and regulators outlining what has worked well, and give recommendations on what could have worked better. The service provider is legally obliged to respond to the recommendations.
Project Background
The rationale for conducting the Enter and View Visit to Albion Health Centre was based on patient experience data collected from various sources – NHS, Care Opinion, Provider Website and Social-Media.
The main areas of concern were service access, treatment issues and staff attitudes.
Overall, our visit to Albion Health Centre was neutral, with many positive aspects but equally room for improvement across various aspects. Recommendations for improvement were suggested and the practice has taken them on board.
6-Month Follow-up
We asked a number of follow-up questions to understand whether the recommendations have improved the quality of the service provided at Albion Health Centre after 6-months. Responses from the practice manager are in bold.
The report concluded with the following recommendations of improvement:
1) The extension of the E-Consultation system opening hours: Albion Health Centre said they were discussing the extension of Enhanced Access Clinic (EAC) with the Primary Care Network (PCN) instead at the time of the report publication. The EAC was due to be extended to 2pm-8pm in November 2023.
As of March 2024, the Albion Health Centre has more appointments available for their patients with GPs, Paramedic and Practice Nurse.
2) Addressing the safety concerns in the disabled toilets, ventilation and leakage issues: The response from the GP surgery was that the concerns were being fixed and negotiations with the Estate Agents were in place regarding the leakage.
The safety concern regarding the disabled toilets have been fixed.
3) Staffing issues were addressed by the recruitment of a salaried GP, a Practice Nurse and two Receptionists.
Since joining the team at Albion Health Centre, the new staff have managed to settle well and enjoying their work.
4) The maintenance of the leaflet display and waiting room environment was in process .
The leaflet display has been restocked and maintained. There has also been other maintenance work to brighten up the waiting room.
• Have the issues been resolved?
Resolved. Especially our waiting room is now more bright. We have painted the whole waiting room. As I have previously mentioned unfortunately we cannot do anything with regards to ventilation as the part of the building is graded as listed.
• Has it made an improvement to the service quality?
We feel that we have improved the service and continue to do so.
• Did you face any issues that prevented you from making any of the improvements?
No. Unfortunately leak cannot be prevented . As you are aware that we have flats upstairs and those will leak will happen .
• What was the result of the negotiations?
We reached an agreement that in the future if we have any leaks from upstairs flat we should contact a given number 24/7. Landlord has fixed the roof to stop anymore leaks for our reception area and on the boardroom.
Downloads
Below, you can download the Albion Health Centre Enter and View Report.
If you need these documents in a different format, please email info@healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk or call 0800 145 5343.
