Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Wilson and Partners (Birkwood Medical Centre on 25 August 2015. 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 to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• 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.
• 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 very good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

There was the provision of a clinic for patients with issues relating to drugs. This practice and two other practices employed staff to see a high number of patients with drug related issues from the area. Currently one of the GP’s within the practice see’s all 50 patients once every 12 weeks.

One of the GPs was awarded the Hull York Medical School (HYMS) Clinical Teacher of Excellence Award 2014 and has been nominated for Teacher of Excellence in 2015.

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

Importantly the provider should:

• Ensure that there are effective systems for obtaining and recording information and records.
• Ensure all staff have opportunities to be involved in meetings and that the appraisal system is up to date.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice