Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced  comprehensive inspection at Blackford House Medical Practice on 12 July 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

• 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.

• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.

• 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.

• The provider was aware of and complied with the  requirements of the duty of candour.

• The practice was registered with the Dementia Action Alliance and the practice was dementia friendly. Reception staff were trained in dementia care so they could offer additional support patients and their carers when they visited the practice.

• The GP lead on dementia care had organised a dementia support day for patients with dementia and their carers. This involved running two workshops; one for the patients with dementia and one for their carers.

• Two student  psychology sessions had been arranged to support the cares of patients with dementia.   They included a  general taster session and a session on how memory works and tips on how to enhance memory in a dementia patient.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Blackford House Medical Centre on 28 January 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

• what we found when we inspected
• information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
• information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as good overall and good for all population groups.

We found that:

• The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm. Risks to patients’ care were monitored with prompt action taken when necessary.
• Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs. Regular multi-disciplinary team meetings took place to ensure patients’ holistic care needs were met.
• Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
• The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way. The appointment system was flexible to encourage patient attendance and accommodate patients’ routines and lifestyles.
• The leadership promoted the delivery of high-quality, patient centred care. There were systems to ensure that GPs and all other staff were well trained and supported in their role. The practice had a comprehensive programme of quality improvement and used information about care and treatment to make improvements.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice