Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Elm House Surgery on 4 August 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• 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.
• 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 areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure systems are in place to monitor the use of blank prescription pads.

• Ensure systems are put in place to ensure appropriate testing of portable appliances is carried out.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

People told us they were very happy with the medical care and treatment at the practice. One person said "the staff here are very good". “They go the extra yard”. Another person told us the receptionist staff were “wonderful” and “very helpful”. One person we spoke with said, theirs had always been an “entirely positive experience”. Most people we spoke with told us they were very happy with the appointment booking system. One person said they found booking the appointments online “very easy and straight forward”.

We found that people were given appropriate information regarding the services available, were involved in their care and their privacy and dignity was respected. Their needs were assessed and care was planned in a way that met these needs, and was delivered based on national guidance. There were proper measures in place for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. The practice had suitable recruitment procedures for all staff, and medicines were managed appropriately. The practice had systems in place to ensure that the quality of the service was regularly assessed and monitored.