Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Greenhead Family Doctors on 10 February 2017. 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.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• 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. However, some patients told us that it was sometimes more difficult to book a routine appointment in advance.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped, despite the limitations of the Victorian building, to treat patients and meet their needs. We saw that patients with mobility issues who found accessing the surgery difficult were visited at home or had their consultations arranged on the ground floor.
• There was a clear and visible 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:

• Undertake a review of the approach to complaints resolution to assure themselves that patients are advised in writing that the practice has concluded their response and that further representations can be made to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

• Arrange appropriate awareness training on the Mental Capacity Act for relevant staff across the team who have yet to receive it.

• Continue to review the most appropriate arrangements for the secure storage of cleaning products.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice