Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Farnworth Health Centre on 20 March 2017. The overall rating for the practice was good however there were improvements required in the key question safe. The full comprehensive report on the 20 March 2017 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Farnworth Health Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 21 September 2017 to confirm the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspections. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is rated as good and the practice is now rated as good for being ‘safe’.

Our key findings at this inspection were as follows:

• We reviewed a range of documents which demonstrated they were now meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 Health & Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Safe Care and Treatment.

• The practice had ensured that Patient Group Directions were implemented correctly.
• The practice had ensured that risk assessments to the health and safety of service users were now in place.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Agarwal and Partners on 28 October 2015. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the 28 October 2016 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dr Agarwal and Partners on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was undertaken as a follow up inspection and was an announced comprehensive inspection on 20 March 2017. Overall the practice is now 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 not always assessed as the practice did not have a health and safety risk assessment.
• Patient Group Directions (PGDs) were not correctly implemented for nurses administering vaccines.
• 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 must make improvement are:

• The service must assess the risk to the health and safety of service users
• Medicines must be administered in accordance with prescriber instructions

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review the storage of prescriptions left in printers overnight

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Farnworth Health Centre on 20 March 2017. The overall rating for the practice was good however there were improvements required in the key question safe. The full comprehensive report on the 20 March 2017 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Farnworth Health Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 21 September 2017 to confirm the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspections. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is rated as good and the practice is now rated as good for being ‘safe’.

Our key findings at this inspection were as follows:

• We reviewed a range of documents which demonstrated they were now meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 Health & Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Safe Care and Treatment.

• The practice had ensured that Patient Group Directions were implemented correctly.
• The practice had ensured that risk assessments to the health and safety of service users were now in place.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We found the practice was clean with ample seating for patients. The practice was situated within a Health centre offering other services including a pharmacy.

We spoke with Six patients on the day. They spoke positively about the practice and commented that they were happy with the care they received.

The practice provided patients with information about the services available through leaflets available throughout the practice.

The practice had electronic and paper patient records in place to record the contact patients had with the service.

We found staff had access to contact details for both child protection and adult safeguarding teams. They were able to describe the appropriate actions to take if they had any safeguarding concerns.

The practice had up to date Infection Prevention Control policies and information available to both staff and patients within the practice.

The practice had a range of policies and procedures in place which supported the safe running of the service.

The practice notice boards provided patents with information about how to raise a concern or complaint.

Patients told us; “I am happy with my care and know about my asthma and my mum knows too”. “I am very happy with the appointments process; I am rarely delayed more than a day getting an appointment. The reception staff are good and friendly. There are good nurses and doctors”. “I just feel the reception staff could inform everyone when the surgeries are running late just to keep you informed and stop people getting annoyed”.