Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Bewdley Medical Centre on 23 August 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• The practice was the largest of the six sites which formed the Wyre Forest Health Partnership (WFHP). Functions such as human resources and finance were carried out by staff at the WFHP main office, which was located in the Bewdley premises.
• There was a clear system for reporting and recording significant events, which was shared across the six sites in the WFHP. Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and to report incidents and near misses. Learning from internal and external incidents was discussed at practice level and at monthly WFHP meetings, which were attended by key staff from the six sites.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in accordance with current evidence based guidelines. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Results from the National GP Patient Survey 2017 showed that patients thought that they were treated with compassion, courtesy and respect and that clinical staff involved them in discussions about their care and treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. The practice responded to complaints and made improvements to the level of service as a result.
• Patients we spoke with said that they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care. Urgent appointments were available the same day.
• A GP had initiated the home visiting service, which had been rolled out to all six practices in the WFHP. It was so successful that the GP had been asked to provide a service specification for two local Clinical Commissioning Groups.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us that they felt supported by the GP partners and management team. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff, patients and the Patient Participation Group, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice