Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the Avenue Medical Practice on 20 October 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 report incidents and near misses.
• Risks to patients and staff were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and responsibilities.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Areas for further improvement had been identified and the staff team was working with NHS England to secure these.
• Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Results from the national GP Patient Survey showed good levels of patient satisfaction regarding the quality of the care and treatment provided by the GP partners and the practice nurse.
• Patients reported good access to the practice and appointments.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by the management team. Good governance arrangements were in place.
• Staff had a clear vision for the development of the practice and were committed to providing their patients with good quality care. This included a good practice development plan which set out their priorities for development.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice