Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Ravi Kumar on 16 August 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 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 been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with the 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.

We saw two areas of outstanding practice:

• Practice meetings were held on a monthly basis and all staff were invited to be present. This resulted in business matters, significant events, complaints and clinical concerns being discussed with all staff present, promoting contributions and suggestions from all staff and a thorough understanding of practice business.

• An audit of patients with diabetes mellitus led to a full review of 13 patients. Following the review, eight of those patients showed substantial improvement and a reduction of HbA1C (blood sugar) levels to 64 or less within two months of the audit. This resulted in the practice achieving the best performance in this area within the CCG.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure that all records held in relation to significant event investigations are robustly auditable and identify exactly who took action and when.

• Continue to ensure that immunisation refresher training is completed, as per the scheduled date.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We found that people’s individual needs were assessed at each visit and care and treatment was planned and delivered to maintain people’s welfare and safety. There were arrangements in place for dealing with foreseeable emergencies.

People were protected from abuse because staff were trained and there was a designated safeguarding lead at the practice.

People were protected against the risks associated with infection because appropriate procedures were followed by the staff.

Medicines were kept securely and stored appropriately.

There were robust and effective systems for assessing and monitoring the quality of the service.