Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as good overall. The practice has not been inspected previously.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Allesley Village Surgery on 22 November 2017 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice demonstrated that they had managed risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. We saw that when incidents did happen, the practice discussed these at clinical meetings and learned from them and improved their processes as a result. We noted that some significant events had been investigated and learning had taken place but there was not always a reporting form completed.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. We saw evidence that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines.
• Patients reported that staff involved them in decisions about the care and that they were treated with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• The practice operated a triage system for appointments which patients reported they found useful. This was in addition to on the day and pre-bookable appointments up to four weeks in advance.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation and a commitment to utilise resources to ensure an efficient and effective service was available for patients.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Strengthen the process of significant event reporting

• Review policies to ensure they are personalised to the practice.
• Continue to explore ways of developing a patient participation group

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice