Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Perkins & Partners, also known as Veor Surgery, on 10 February 2015. The practice was rated as requires improvement for providing services that are Safe. We found there were inconsistent arrangements in how risks were assessed and managed. For example, relating to staff recruitment, training and appraisals, and the communication of actions following the receipt of medical safety alerts. The full comprehensive report of the inspection undertaken in February 2015 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dr Perkins & Partners on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 21 February 2017 to confirm the practice had carried out their action plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations identified at our previous inspection on 10 February 2015. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Our key findings were as follows:

• The Practice had completed appropriate recruitment checks when employing new staff and for existing staff members.

• The practice ensured that alerts and new guidance was shared with staff and checks were in place to ensure relevant action was taken.

• The practice recorded and communicated alerts and incidents appropriately and ensured learning was shared following significant events.

• The practice had an overview of staff training and had implemented systems to ensure refresher training was completed when required.

• All staff had received up to date appraisals.

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 the Veor Surgery on 10 February 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

We found the practice to be good for providing responsive and effective and well led services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people including those recently retired and students, people who were vulnerable and those experiencing poor mental health and those with dementia. However we found the service to require improvement in the safety domain.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded; however, there was no evidence of learning and communication with staff.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, with the exception of those relating to recruitment checks.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.

• Urgent appointments were usually available on the day they were requested. However patients said that they sometimes had to wait a long time for non-urgent appointments.

• 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 practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider must take

• The provider must ensure that staff employed at the practice have the required employment checks.

And the provider should

• Ensure all staff receive up to date appraisals.
• The provider should ensure that when medical alerts were circulated to staff there were auditing systems in place to ensure that any actions had been taken.

Ensure training records on the computerised system are up to date.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice