Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Mayflower Medical Centre on 17 June 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

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. Improvements were needed in how safety alerts and significant events were acted on and monitored.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance and referrals to secondary care services were made in a timely way.
• Patients said they were treated with empathy, compassion, dignity and respect. They said that they were listened to and involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were needed in the way that complaints were responded to.
• Appointments were flexible to meet the needs of all population groups.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff were supported by management. The practice sought feedback from staff and patients.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should:

• Review the systems dealing with and acting on safety alerts and significant events to improve patient safety.
• Ensure that staff who undertake chaperone duties complete training regarding these duties.
• Review policies and procedures around handling and storing vaccines and blank prescription pads.
• Ensure that all complaints are responded to in line with practice policies and procedures.
• Ensure that policies and procedures are reviewed so that they reflect accurately the day-to-day management of the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice