The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded the rating of Uni-City Medical Centre from inadequate to good following an inspection in October and November.
Uni-City Medical Centre based in Portsmouth is a GP practice serving over 20,000 people. CQC carried out the inspection to check on progress after the service was placed in special measures in July and issued with warning notices.
CQC upgraded the ratings of safe and well-led from inadequate to good. Effective and responsive improved from requires improvement to good. Caring was re-rated as good.
As a result, the service is no longer in special measures.
Victoria Oecken, CQC’s deputy director for Portsmouth, said:
"When we last inspected Uni-City Medical Centre, we found serious concerns about safety and leadership that potentially put people at risk of unsafe care. It's really positive to see the significant improvements the service has made since then.
"We found leaders had transformed the culture at the practice. Staff told us they now feel valued and supported, and we saw this reflected in the care people received. Receptionists recognised people by name, and the team worked hard to meet individual communication needs, including providing information in different languages and offering longer appointments when needed.
"The service now had a strong learning culture. Leaders investigated incidents thoroughly, shared lessons with staff, and used feedback to drive continuous improvement.
“People told us they were positive about the quality of their care, and recent survey data showed good levels of satisfaction.
"We'll continue to monitor the service to ensure these improvements are sustained."
Inspectors found:
- Leaders completed daily walkarounds to greet staff and were approachable and responsive to concerns
- Staff received regular supervision and appraisals, supporting their development
- The service improved safeguarding monitoring, with weekly reviews by a dedicated nurse
- Reception staff checked waiting areas every 30 minutes to ensure no one was left unobserved
- People could access information in their preferred language through QR codes and text message options
- The service offered Saturday cervical screening clinics to improve uptake among eligible people