Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Jones & Partners on 9 February 2016. At this time we noted that improvement was required to increase the security of medicines and blank prescription stationery held in the practice. Furthermore, we found that there was scope to improve the systems and processes in place for the ordering and collection of repeat prescriptions.

After the comprehensive inspection, the practice wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to ensuring robust processes were in place.

We undertook this focused inspection to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

The overall rating for the practice is good. You can read our previous report by selecting the ‘all reports' link for on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

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 Dr Jones and Partners on 9 February 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.
• 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.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

• Improve the arrangements for the security of blank prescription forms to ensure that they are only accessible to authorised staff.

• Risk assess the systems in place for the ordering and collection of repeat prescriptions.

The area where the provider should make an improvement is:

• Ensure that dispensing errors are investigated as significant events in order to ensure continuous learning.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall. (October 2016 – 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 an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Jones and Partners on 23 January 2018 and 31 January 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. This included a risk stratification tool which gave management an ongoing oversight of all documented risks in the practice.

• The practice had systems in place to safeguard patients against abuse. The practice regularly reviewed all documentation for children that were not brought for appointments. There was a clear audit trail to show that letters had been reviewed and discussed in meetings. However, the practice did not always document this in the patient’s notes for children that did not attend hospital appointments.

• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided through clinical audit. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence based guidelines.

• The practice had achieved 100% performance for the Quality and Outcomes Framework.

• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. Results from the national GP Patient Survey reflected this.

• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.

• The practice responded to complaints in a timely and open manner.

• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

• There was a positive culture within the practice and staff reported the management team were supportive and approachable.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review the system for the documentation of children that were not brought for hospital appointments.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice