Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We undertook an announced comprehensive inspection of Northgate Surgery on 19 June 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.
• The practice had the majority of defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety. The exception was that the system for managing alerts did not include a check to ensure appropriate action had been taken.
• Staff were aware of and seen to be providing treatment in line with current evidence based guidance.
• Clinical staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment. The provider had a training programme that included all staff. We saw that training requirements had been completed or planned.
• Results from the national GP patient survey published in July 2016 showed most scores were above average when patients were asked if they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. The scores for access by telephone and availability of appointments were significantly higher than local and national averages.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and we saw improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure; GPs had leadership roles in specialist clinical areas and staff spoke positively about the support they received from the management team.
• The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. We reviewed the process for managing significant events and complaints and saw evidence that the practice complied with these requirements.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review the system for managing alerts to include a check that appropriate action has been taken.
• Review the policy for exception reporting patients to ensure that patients who require reviews remain highlighted on the clinical system.
• Explore ways to increase the number of patients identified as carers.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice