Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Penntorr Health on 18 July 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 a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients we spoke with 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. For example, there was a fully equipped operating theatre on site. The practice was clean, tidy and hygienic. We found that suitable arrangements were in place to ensure the cleanliness of the practice was maintained effectively.
• The practice was able to provide extended dermatology services. GPs with a special interest delivered these, so patients were able to access rapid diagnosis and treatment for conditions such as low risk skin cancer.
• 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 the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

The practice had won an award for ‘Working Together – Effective Collaboration Working on NHS Research in Cornwall’. This award was for the whole team approach to research. The practice had been conducting research studies for around 20 years and was committed to providing its patients with a high standard of care and attention. These studies included diabetes, flu, arthritis, ear pain in children and dementia. Clinical trials are research studies in which people help test treatments or approaches to prevention or diagnosis of health conditions to evaluate whether they are safe and effective. They were also named the highest recruiter to research studies in Cornwall for 2016/17; demonstrating how hard they had been working to ensure that patients had the opportunity to take part in clinical research.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Penntorr Health on 17 December 2015. 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 in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make appointments and that there were urgent appointments available the same day.
• 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 majority of patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. However, not all felt cared for, supported and listened to.

• The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet patients’ needs. For example, the practice offered ultrasound, general dermatology and hand surgery services on the Penntorr Health practice site.

• 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. For example, the display screen in the Penntorr Health practice waiting area had been improved with the use of a clearer type face. For example, where patients over the age of 75 had been given a named GP who was not their usual one. The PPG fed this back to the practice who wrote to patients telling patients if they preferred a different GP could be allocated.

• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. The strategy to deliver this vision had been produced with stakeholders and was regularly reviewed and discussed with staff.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The purpose built premises at Penntorr Health provided excellent, safe and accessible facilities for patients. These premises were maintained to a high degree of cleanliness, through regular auditing of the environment.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Devise an action plan with regard to improving patient feedback satisfaction scores where these fell below CCG and national averages in relation to nursing and reception staff.

• Consider mental health related performance indicators that are below the CCG and national average in terms of additional staff training and staffing resources.  

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice