Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 8 January 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive services and for being well-led. We found the practice to be good for providing services for the population groups of older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

Our key findings were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Patients said they were treated with kindness, compassion, and respect and that they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment.
• Most patients said they found it easy to make an appointment and that appointments were convenient. However, some patients mentioned it was difficult to get through on the phone and available appointments were not always suitable for those who worked.
• 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.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.

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

The provider should:

• Display the chaperone policy in all clinical and treatment rooms.
• Ensure that all staff who may be required to perform chaperone duties have received appropriate training.
• Ensure all staff have received basic life support training.
• Maintain a formal risk log that records how any identified risks have been assessed and managed.
• Ensure that the second stage of first cycle clinical audits commenced are completed.
• Ensure that patients are provided with information about the out of hour’s service provider.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice