Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Bankhouse surgery on 21 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.
• 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 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. The practice promoted a no blame culture and encouraged staff to raise concerns and possible risks.
• Patients 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.
• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.
• 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.
• We saw that the practice had a dedicated member of staff who was a carer’s champion/co-ordinator who liaised between the surgery, carers and Hartlepool carers group. The member of staff had a good knowledge of the services available locally for carers and promoted awareness of carers in the practice. There was a weekly drop in to the practice from Hartlepool carers.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour. (The duty of candour is a set of specific legal requirements that providers of services must follow when things go wrong with care and treatment).

The practice should:

• Ensure that the performers list assurance checks, indemnity, revalidation and safeguarding training were checked when employing locum doctors.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice