Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Fusehill Medical Practice on 3 September 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There were systems in place to mitigate safety risks including analysing significant events and safeguarding. The premises were clean and tidy. Arrangements in the practice for managing medicines, including emergency drugs and vaccines, kept patient safe. There were appropriate recruitment checks in place.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Feedback from patients and observations throughout our inspection showed the staff were kind, caring and helpful.
• The practice had systems in place to respond to and act on patient complaints and feedback. Services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different patient groups and to help provide flexibility, choice and continuity of care.
• The practice had a clear vision to deliver high quality care and promote good outcomes for patients. The staff worked well together as a team.
• Results from the National GP Patient Survey showed that some aspects of patients’ satisfaction with how they could access care and treatment was lower than local and national averages. The practice had reinstated the patient participation group (PPG) to help them to improve.

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

Importantly the provider should :

• Develop and implement an action plan to improve the levels of patient satisfaction, including improving the experience for patients of contacting the practice, making an appointment, feeling involved with decisions about their health and treatment and consulting with doctors and nurses at the practice.
• Increase the percentage of patients with a range of mental health conditions that have a comprehensive care plan documented within the preceding 12 month.
• Ensure blank prescriptions are recorded in accordance with national guidance to reduce the risk of theft or misuse.
• Consider the use of a paginated, bound book for recording controlled drugs to reduce the risk of theft or misuse.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice