Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Brockworth Surgery on 9 June 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. 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 patient participation group was well engaged, and had suggested a number of changes to the practice management team which had been acted upon.
• 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.

When there were unintended or unexpected safety incidents, patients received reasonable support, truthful information, a verbal and written apology and were told about any actions to improve processes to prevent the same thing happening again.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

During this announced visit, we spoke to one person who used the service. We spoke to the chair and vice chair of the patient participation group (PPG). We spoke to staff, observed interactions in the reception area and looked at documents held by the provider.

Staff, the patient we spoke to and the PPG all confirmed that people who used the service were always involved in their care and treatment. We observed interactions between the reception staff and people who used the service. We found this to be respectful for people’s individual needs and friendly. The practice had good safeguarding procedures in place for both adult and children. They also had good systems in place for medicines management. The practice had an established and effective patient participation group and we spoke to the chair and vice chair. They told us “we feel the staff are always open and transparent with us, they listen to what patients are saying and they are honest when they can’t change things”.

Patients were offered the chance to talk to us when they arrived at the surgery. Only one person wanted to talk to us during our visit. They told us “I have received very good treatment, the doctors are excellent”. We saw other positive comments from the feedback forms including "Always friendly and helpful whilst being professional, one of the best surgeries we have been registered with" and "I would like to praise the doctor, very helpful"