Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Castle Health Practice on 28 June 2017. 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 a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.

• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients we spoke with 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.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

Nurses for the homeless, employed by the practice, delivered an outreach service to homeless patients registered at the practice. They responded to these patients by offering a flexible approach to working hours and locations. They regularly signposted patients to breakfast clubs which were run from the local homeless centre. The nurses had good links with this service. Where patients had not responded to calls, letters or appointments, practice staff made a welfare visit. The practice collected material donations of clothing, bedding and other such things and delivered them regularly to the homeless shelter.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

The practice should consider improving the identification of patients on the practice list who are carers. They should use this register of patients to identify and offer systems of support to them.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about Castle Health Practice on 6 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.