Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Liversedge Medical Centre on 4 May 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. 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.

• The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice. For example, the practice took a whole team approach to improving outcomes for patients.
• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. The strategy to deliver this vision had been produced with stakeholders and was regularly reviewed and discussed with staff who all had clear responsibilities in relation to the vision.

• 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 was available and easy to understand.
• 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 one area of outstanding practice:

Data showed that the practice had significantly improved patient outcomes. For example, in the preceding 12 months the practice improved their patient uptake of annual dementia reviews by 20%. An advanced nurse practitioner carried out annual reviews, including a review of their medication in patients’ own homes. Data for 2014/15 showed that 75% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face-to-face review in the preceding 12 months. The practice provided data for 2015/16 that showed this had increased to 95% which was significantly higher than local and national averages.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Ensure benzylpenicillin is available for suspected cases of meningitis
• Ensure clinical waste bags are labelled in line with current legislation and guidance.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice