Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Balmoral Surgery on 22 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as outstanding.

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. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.

• The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice. For example taking the lead with the local clinical commissioning group to develop Medical Interoperability Gateway (MIG).

• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.

• The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they met patients’ needs.

• Staff had lead clinical roles for example in safeguarding and infection prevention control, but also undertook patient supportive roles such as a care co-ordinator, online champion and carer’s champion.

• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group (PPG). The PPG met regularly and facilitated outside speakers such as a representative from the clinical commissioning group.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand
• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority.

• The practice supported its younger population with open access drop in sexual health clinics every day after school hours, whether they were patients at the practice or not.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• The practice consulted with its patients and supported an active patient participation group (PPG). There was a member of the PPG in the practice waiting room on most days to assist patients, particularly the elderly or vulnerable, with access to services.

• Staff had lead roles that improved patient’s access to services such as the online champion this had led to an increase of over 2000 patients using online services. It supported specific population groups.

• Staff had lead roles that improved outcomes for patients such as a care co-ordinator and a carer’s champion. Patients had access at the practice to drop in clinics from outside agencies such as: Age Concern, Carer’s Support and Cruse Bereavement Care.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about Balmoral Surgery on 25 May 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.