Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr K Parkinson and Dr J.A. Gilby on 7 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good, with outstanding care in services for patients with long-term conditions.

Our key findings were as follows:

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• 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 how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Data showed that patients found it difficult to contact the practice by telephone, although the practice had taken action to improve in this area.

We saw an areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice had developed a model of using Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) at the forefront of providing services. The ANPs had comprehensive oversight, and undertook in-depth regular monitoring, of patients with long-term conditions. An example of the care given was that patients with diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) had regular reviews of their condition which lasted for one hour.

There were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

• Consider the arrangements/medicines in place for patients who experience a prolonged convulsion (seizure) and mitigate them.

• Continue to adapt the system in place for contacting the practice by telephone, measured by the improvement in patient satisfaction rates.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice