Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Melbourne Park Medical Centre on 7 October 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open approach to safety across the practice. Systems were in place which supported staff to report and record significant events. Significant events were investigated and appropriate action taken as a result.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed across the practice.
• Care was delivered to patients in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had received training which provided them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Feedback from patients was generally positive about their interaction with practice staff and the standard of care and treatment they received.
• The majority of patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. This was supported by data from the GP patient survey.
• Information about services and how to complain was available in the waiting area and was easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns. The practice responded to complaints openly and was keen to meet with complainants to resolve issues as swiftly as possible.
• Patients said they were generally able to access urgent appointments but said it could be difficult to get through to the practice by telephone. In response to issues related to access the practice had improved their telephone system and data from the GP patient survey showed improvements over the last three years.
• The practice had occupied new premises since 2015 which had good facilities and were well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. The new premises afforded the practice additional space and provided the flexibility for future expansion.
• 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:

• In addition to standard health checks, one of the practice nurses provided a home visiting service to elderly patients who were unable to attend the surgery. This was undertaken on a weekly basis. The practice nurse also performed over 85s checks in the community which enabled identification of health and social issues. We saw evidence that the majority of older patients in the practice were receiving regular health reviews. For example, the practice had 495 registered patients over the age of 75, 429 of whom had received a health review in the last 12 months.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure all staff receive regular appraisals
• Continue to review and improve access to appointments
• Improve the recording of reviews undertaken in relation to significant events
• Improve the identification of carers and the support available to them.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice