Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Lea Vale Medical Practice on 13 November 2014. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected 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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• 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.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Most patients said they found it easy to speak with or make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.

We saw two areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice sent nursing staff into a women’s group and local schools used by the Polish community to provide advice about the importance of regular cervical smear tests as well as how to manage minor childhood illnesses. This had resulted in a decreased number of children being brought into the surgery with colds and other minor illnesses.
• The practice allowed homeless people to register the practice as their own address in order to support them to access other services and benefits.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice