Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Cam & Uley Family Practice on 17 November 2015. 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.
• 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 provided a GP for emergency ward cover at the local community hospital.
• The practice helped patients book the most appropriate and quickest hospital appointments by accessing the choose and book system during the patients consultation.

• The practice had a lead GP for DoLS (Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards) who led on best interest decision making process for patients in care homes and worked closely with Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCA).

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• The practice met the needs of their housebound patients and those patients who would benefit from home visits. For example, joint home visits were available with the Psychiatrist for patients living with dementia or those with poor mental health; practice nurses visited those patients who had difficulty attending the practice following a hospital discharge.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Blank prescriptions at Uley Surgery should be handled in accordance with national guidance.

• The practice should complete an infection control audit to monitor the on going management of infection control.

• The practice should review the complaint documentation process so concerns are documented appropriately.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about Cam & Uley Family Practice on 12 April 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.