Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Oakdin Surgery on 04 February 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for each of the population groups.

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. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.
• 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.
• Non clinical staff encouraged and supported patients to take responsibility for their own health and the management of their medical condition

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

Action the provider should take to improve:

• Carry out appropriate recruitment checks to ensure staff members’ suitability for their role and risks are assessed for those who undertake chaperone duties.
• Conduct an infection and prevention control audit to identify potential risks
• Maintain emergency oxygen

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice