Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

In March 2015, we found concerns related to the management of medicines and infection control during a comprehensive inspection of South Meadow Surgery, in Eton, Berkshire. The previous inspection in March 2015 had found two breaches of the regulations relating to the safe delivery of services.

We carried out a follow up inspection of South Meadow Surgery (which included Dedworth Medical Centre) on 16 June 2016 to ensure these changes had been implemented. We found the practice was meeting the requirements of the regulations.

Following these improvements the ratings for the practice have been updated to reflect our findings.

Specifically the practice was:

• Operating safe systems in relation to management of medicines. This included appropriate arrangements in place for storing controlled drugs.

• Ensuring infection control systems were sufficient to protect patients, staff and visitors.

There was an area of practice where the provider should continue to make improvements:

• Ensure the system for blank prescription distribution is in line with current national guidance.

We have changed the rating for this practice to reflect these changes.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We undertook a comprehensive inspection of the South Meadow Surgery Centre on 19 March 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. 

It was good at providing services for all the population groups including older people; people with long term conditions; mothers, babies, children and young people; the working age populations and those recently retired; people in vulnerable circumstances and people experiencing poor mental health. I

t required improvement for providing safe services.

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.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• 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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

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

Importantly the provider must:

• Ensure medicine management systems are reviewed and reflect national guidelines.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice