Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at New Dover Road Surgery on 11 January 2017. 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 for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed. The practice had identified some areas of infection prevention and control that required improvement and at the time of inspection had begun to implement a range of improvements. However, the action plan for these improvements did not contain timescales.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• The practice was committed to working collaboratively and participated in the Community Hub operating Centres (CHOC) aimed at improving communication between health and social care services.
• 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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.
• The practice was a member of the Encompass Vanguard (an integrated multi specialty community provider consisting of 16 other GP practices, the CCG, three other NHS trusts, the local council and local social services, the local hospice and numerous voluntary groups), which aimed at providing services in the community and reducing the need for patients to travel to secondary care.
• 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 (PPG).
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice 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 response to staff suggestions the practice implemented a direct telephone line and issued business cards with contact details for the care co-ordinator to help ensure vulnerable patients, carers and other health and social care providers could obtain support and information to meet their needs in a timely manner.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review infection prevention and control action plans to include timescales for the completion of any actions and improvements. Ensure lead members of staff have received suitable training to support this role.
• Review the process for managing childhood immunisations to help ensure immunisation data is accurate.
• Continue to develop the carers register and review how the needs and requirements of this group of patients are being met.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice