Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this practice on 11 February 2015. A breach of legal requirements was found. After the comprehensive inspection, the practice wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to;

• Regulation 12 Health & Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 – safe care and treatment.

From the inspection on 11 February 2015, the practice were told they must:

• Ensure a coordinated approach to medicines management and that a system is in place to record the amount and type of medicines and vaccinations kept at the practice. All medicines and medical consumables, including those kept with emergency equipment, must be within their expiry dates and stored appropriately.

We undertook a desk top based focused inspection at Fishermead Medical Centre on 14 June 2016 to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal standards and requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements found to be requiring improvement . You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting 'all reports' link for Fishermead Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

We found that on the 14 June 2016 the practice now had improved systems in place.

• Practice specific protocols and procedures had been developed and implemented to manage risks associated with the handling and storage of medicines.
• Systems to ensure that medicines were checked, stored securely and managed appropriately had been implemented and adhered to.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced inspection of Fishermead Medical Centre on 11 February 2015. This was a comprehensive inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act (2008) as part of our regulatory functions. The practice achieved an overall rating of good. This was based on four of the five domains and all six population groups we looked at achieving the same good rating.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Appointments, including those required out of normal working hours or in an emergency were available.
• Systems were in place to identify and respond to concerns about the safeguarding of adults and children.
• We saw patients receiving respectful treatment from staff. Patients felt they were seen by courteous and helpful staff. Patients reported feeling satisfied with the care and service they received.
• The practice offered a number of services designed to promote patients’ health and wellbeing and prevent the onset of illness.
• The practice acted upon best practice guidance and completed clinical audit to further improve patient care.
• The management and meeting structure ensured that clinical decisions were reached and action was taken.
• There was no clear system in place to record the amount and type of medicines and vaccinations kept at the practice. Some of the medicines and medical consumables we checked were beyond their expiry dates or stored out of their sterile packaging.

There were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly, the provider must:

• Ensure a coordinated approach to medicines management and that a system is in place to record the amount and type of medicines and vaccinations kept at the practice. All medicines and medical consumables, including those kept with emergency equipment, must be within their expiry dates and stored appropriately.

In addition the provider should:

• Ensure that systems designed to assess the risk of and to prevent, detect and control the spread of infection are fully audited.

• Ensure adequate recruitment procedures are in place including completing the required background checks on staff and that the required information is available in respect of each person employed.

• Ensure that all staff employed are supported by receiving appropriate supervision and appraisal within the practice’s own timescales.

• Ensure there is a structured approach to multi-disciplinary meetings for all patients with complex health issues.

• Ensure that all staff complete the training relevant to their roles, which may include the application of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

• Ensure that every reasonable and affordable effort is made to expand or redesign the practice to ensure the privacy and dignity of patients is maintained at all times.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice