Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Bridge End Surgery on 22 March 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 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.

• Some patients said they found it difficult to make an appointment. There were urgent appointments available the same day for GPs and Nurses. Routine appointments were available to book but this was in sixteen days.

• 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. This means they must be open and transparent with patients about their care and treatment, including when it goes wrong.
• The practice engaged well with the voluntary sector and the local authority to provide services for patients.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

The practice had developed the role of a ‘veteran co-ordinator’ who was a point of contact for veterans registered at the practice who may be in need of extra support.

The practice held a register of patients who were at risk of unplanned emergency admission to hospital and these patients were offered an additional weekend service. By being identified as potentially needing extra weekend support, patients were given a dedicated mobile number for telephone consultation or a pre-booked appointment in a nearby surgery.

The practice had a register of patients who were homeless and communicated monthly with the local hostels to keep up to date with this transient patient group.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about Bridge End Surgery on 5 June 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.