Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Earls Barton Medical Centre on 7 October 2015. The practice provides primary medical services to approximately 5,250 people who live in the surrounding area. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report and follow through incidents and near misses. Opportunities for learning from incidents were shared with staff during meetings and action taken to prevent similar recurrences. Staff had the knowledge and skills to enable them to take appropriate action if they had concerns about patient’s safety.

• Practice staff utilised methods to improve patient outcomes by working with other local providers to share best practice. Clinical staff used the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when assessing patients and for their care needs.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the services available to them. Patients we spoke with told us they received good standards of care.

• Practice staff worked closely with other organisations and external professionals in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet people’s needs. People with complex needs had care plans in place that were regularly reviewed.

• As a consequence of feedback from patients and the Patient Participation Group (PPG) practice staff had made improvements to the way it delivered services. PPG’s work with practice staff in an effective way that may lead to improved services. The PPG were proactive in representing patients and assiting the practice in making improvements.

• Senior staff had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its priority. Plans for the future were in place to improve patient access to the premises. There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. It was evident that there was a strongly motivated staff team.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice