Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Posterngate Surgery on 30 November 2015 and 1 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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.
• Risks to patients and staff were assessed and well managed.
• 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 any decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• There were same day urgent appointments available on the day of inspection and everyday. We were told every effort was made to support continuity of care.
• The practice had very good facilities. The practice was equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice, as part of SHIELD (The Selby Area Federation of GP Practices), had won an innovation fund to develop social prescribing. This fund was used initially to support the local voluntary service to produce an up to date data base of available voluntary social care organisations. Patients were now referred to the most appropriate services. There was evidence that it was having a positive impact on patients and /or their carers. As well as reducing unplanned hospital admissions.
• The named GPs had assessed patients with a geriatrician at the local care and nursing homes to assess and meet the needs of their patients. This also prevented long journeys to hospitals for these patients who were mainly frail and elderly. In conjunction with the community matron, they had implemented anticipatory care plans with hospital admission avoidance planning incorporated.
• The practice was part of the Selby Community Hub which was an innovation funded project from the CCG. This was to integrate Health and Social Care, using multi-disciplinary services to help reduce unplanned hospital admissions and to shorten hospital stays. As yet the evidence was anecdotal however, it was very positive about sharing care and improving patient outcomes.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice