Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Hall Green Surgery on 19th May 2016. 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 a system in place for reporting and recording significant events. Identified incidents were investigated thoroughly and improvements to practice made as a result.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• 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.
• There was evidence of quality improvement including clinical audit, although learning and improvement could be further maximised by completion of second cycle audits.
• Patients were strongly positive about their experience at the practice. They said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• The practice had previously hosted a carers support and awareness training session attended both by the practice’s own staff as well as staff from five other local practices. The practice had been awarded a carers awareness training certificate and hosted regular carer support events on site.
• 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 very 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.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice was proactive in its response to patients feedback in an effort to improve its patients experience of accessing healthcare. For example, it had successfully campaigned to have a pedestrian crossing installed on the busy road outside the building after a cohort of elderly patients had expressed that they felt unsafe visiting the practice.

• The practice had also facilitated community healthcare providers updating their protocols around cross boundary referrals after a number of patients experienced difficulties accessing appropriate secondary care.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure practice policies contain sufficient detail and that all are readily available to staff.

• When a decision has been taken not to seek a DBS check for a member of staff, for example when a check has been recently completed by another employer, a risk assessment should be undertaken to provide clear documentation of the reasoning behind this decision.

• Ensure completion of second cycle clinical audits.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice