Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Shifa Surgery on 20 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. We saw that learning from significant events was communicated with staff effectively and staff were aware of any changes implemented as a result in order to minimise the risk of the event being repeated.
• 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 had rated the practice in line with others for many aspects of care. Patient feedback we received as part of the inspection process indicated 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.
• While some patients expressed concerns regarding appointment access, we saw that the practice was taking action to address these concerns and there was improved 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 strongly 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• An action plan following an infection control audit should be produced to document that all required actions have been completed in a timely manner.

• Clinician’s professional registration status should be consistently recorded in order to document that the check has been carried out.

• Work to validate the carers list should be completed and alerts on the electronic records used to facilitate and maximise access to appropriate support services.

• Continued work should be undertaken and monitored to address patient concerns around access to appointments.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about Shifa Surgery on 4 April 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.