Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Barton Hills Medical Group on 15 December 2014. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long term conditions, mothers and young people and children, those patients whose circumstances make them vulnerable and those suffering with mental health problems.

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, with the exception of those relating to recruitment checks for staff who act as a chaperone.
• 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 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.
• 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 needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should:

• Replace the chair used for phlebotomy or ensure that the ripped arms are replaced.

• Ensure that all reception staff have DBS checks if the GP partners decide they are to undertake chaperone duties.

• Undertake a formal risk assessment of long serving reception staff who have not had DBS checks.

• Introduce a system or process to ensure the secure storage of clinical waste and cleaning substances.

• Carry out a new legionella risk assessment.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice