Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Elm Hayes Surgery on 2 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• The practice recognised the value of learning from significant events and had a system to review them regularly and as part of everyday practice. The practice carried out a thorough analysis of the significant events to look for root cause, ways to prevent any reoccurrence and identify any improvements needed. The significant events were a standing agenda item in meetings and learning was shared across the whole practice.

• 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. The practice had supported many staff and provided training including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in customer service and team leadership, NVQ in dispensing, practice managers diploma, NVQ in health care and diabetes and respiratory programmes.
• The practice had a clear vision to provide patients with the traditional values of personal, high quality, patient focussed, responsive health care delivered from modern premises.
• 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 had undertaken a number of analyses of the patient’s satisfaction and experience; they had looked at the difficulty with regards to patient telephone access, and implemented additional phones lines and advertised the benefit of online appointment booking to improve access.

• 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. At Elm Hayes Surgery patients could access a number of services provided by other care providers including; counselling, audiology, podiatry, community paediatricians and a drugs and alcohol team.
• 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice