Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This is a focused inspection of Ashton GP Service for one area within the key question safe.

We found the practice to be good in providing safe services. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

The practice was previously inspected on 04 November 2015. The inspection was a comprehensive inspection under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. At that inspection, the practice was rated good overall. However, within the key question safe, one area was identified as requiring improvement, as the practice was not meeting the legislation at that time:

Regulation 12 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Safe care and treatment: 1.Care and treatment must be provided in a safe way for service users. 2.Without limiting paragraph (1), the things which a registered person must do to comply with that paragraph include— f. where equipment or medicines are supplied by the service provider, ensuring that there are sufficient quantities of these to ensure the safety of service users and to meet their needs; g. the proper and safe management of medicines.

• The arrangements for storage, monitoring and administration of medicines were not robust.

We visited Ashton GP service enabling us to follow up on the one area of requires improvement. During the inspection on 6 February 2017 we were provided with evidence which demonstrated Ashton GP Service are now meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ashton GP Service on 4 November 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, including those relating to recruitment checks.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice provided a walk in access from 8:00am to 8:00pm for non-registered patients visiting, living in, or working in the area.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

However there were areas of practice where the provider must make improvements:

The arrangements for managing medicines were not robust. The provider must ensure proper and safe management of medicines.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice