Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 25 February 2016 at Levenshulme Medical Practice. 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 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.
• 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 provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.
• The practice was working with other local practices and the community nursing team to actively support and manage people living in care and nursing homes to avoid unplanned admissions into hospital.

Areas of outstanding practice:

• One GP had taken a proactive lead in the area of promoting health strategies to local and national ethnic communities. Programmes such as promoting Hepatitis C awareness, breast screening, domestic abuse and health checks were being proactively delivered to the local Asian community. The practice were collaborating with local women’s groups, health centres and places of worship to promote better local health.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Undertake a review of risks with appropriate mitigating actions for those identified in relation to lone working and the carrying of blood samples.
• Ensure the practice business strategy is up to date and fit for purpose.
• Ensure there is a system to monitor and audit the traceability of the prescription paper used in the practice.

Promote the patient participation group (PPG) to be actively involved and to ensure feedback is acted upon from all sources such as the national GP survey.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about Levenshulme Medical Practice on 25 April 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.