Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall. (At the previous inspection on 26 January 2016 the overall rating was also Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection of Burney Street PMS on 9 January 2018 as part of our inspection programme. We visited the main site at 48 Burney Street, Greenwich and the branch surgery at Wallace Health Centre, Deptford.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
• Staff involved patients in decisions about their care and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• The provider should review how patients with caring responsibilities are identified and recorded on the clinical system to ensure information, advice and support is made available to all carers registered with the practice.
• The provider should continue to monitor their performance against the Quality and Outcomes Framework and implement changes to improve outcomes for patients where necessary.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Burney Street PMS on 26 January 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. There was an up-to-date fire risk assessment but it had not previously been updated at regular intervals.

• 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.

• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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. Yearly appraisals had been conducted but they were not always recorded appropriately and the practice had not followed its policy on the regularity of infection control training.

• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• The practice had been awarded a young people friendly award every year from 1999 to 2015, most recently by the Royal Borough of Greenwich local authority, following a ‘mystery shopper’ programme of assessments carried out by young people seeking advice about contraception and sexual health in the practice.

There are areas where the provider should make improvements. They should:

• Ensure fire risk assessments are conducted on a regular basis.

• Ensure practice policies are followed, and appraisal summaries are completed.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice