Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ilford Medical Centre on 22 April 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 an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• 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.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment by their GP.
• 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.
• The practice had improved the ease with which patients were able to make an appointment with a GP. The practice recognised still further improvement was required and had a robust action plan in place to achieve this. Urgent appointments were 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Consider further ways of meeting the needs patients with long term conditions given the comparatively high exception reporting rates in some clinical domains.

• Continue to monitor and develop telephone access and appointment availability so that improvement is sustained and patients’ satisfaction with the service overall is further increased.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

People said that the practitioners explained things to them in a way they could understand and they were able to ask questions. Comments included "they speak to you like a friend" and "they always explain what they're doing." People said they were happy with the care and treatment they received. Comments included "I owe my life to this practice" and "every doctor I have seen here has been marvellous."

People said they felt safe using the service. One person said "I do feel comfortable with all of the staff." Staff we spoke with were aware of the types and signs of abuse and were able to give examples of circumstances under which they would raise a concern about possible abuse. People who use the service, staff and visitors were protected against the risks of unsafe or unsuitable premises.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. People who use the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on.