Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Edith Cavell Surgery on 23 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

• 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 a named 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.
• The practice held annual virtual clinics for respiratory, cardiovascular and diabetes patients.
• The practice provided outreach services on health promotion at the local library annually, to promote health awareness and encourage early detection and treatment of diseases.
• The practice was open seven days a week.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice had launched an interactive on-line messaging system called “message my GP”. Any patient who sent a message to the GP would be responded to within 24 hours.

• The practice provided a “frontline clinic” where a GP sat in reception on a daily basis and triaged patients, this improved patient access in a variety of ways.

• The practice had identified that some patients from the Muslim community were apprehensive about seeking support for mental health related issues. To address this it worked in partnership with a charity and produce a video, specially aimed at Muslim patients to address the mental health stigma. The aim of the service was to provide a different method of support to patients and highlight the awareness of depression and getting help. The video was widely rolled out and played at over 50 practices around London.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review patient survey scores in relation to patient involvement in decision-making.

• Continue to identify carers to ensure appropriate support can be offered.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice