This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous rating July 2015 – Good)

The key questions at this inspection are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive at Southernhay House Surgery on 21 November 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice recognised where systems and processes had worked well and improved their processes where appropriate.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
• The practice offered a “yellow card” prescribing system for vulnerable patients who were unable to order prescriptions for themselves. A patient deemed suitable for the system had their medicines written up weekly/monthly on their clinical record. Their medicines were then written on a yellow card kept in reception. One of the yellow card administration team had a weekly task of generating prescriptions for these patients and sending them onwards to the relevant pharmacy.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning, improvement and involvement at all levels of the organisation.
• Staff feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Staff acknowledged that the practice was a busy place to work but added that it was a good place to work and added that communication was effective.
• The practice was working to increase the numbers in its patient participation group to further engage with the patients.
• Governance arrangements were well established and effective at the practice. Online spreadsheets were used to monitor and alert staff to medicines and equipment expiry dates and trends occurring from surveys and other forms of feedback.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review systems to monitor mental health and diabetes outcomes for patients.

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 inspection at Southernhay House Surgery on 1st July 2015. The practice is rated as good. It was good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led services. It was good for providing services for all the population groups, older people, families children and young people, people with long term conditions, people in vulnerable circumstances, people experiencing poor mental health and people who are working age or recently retired.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Outcomes for patients were positive, consistent and met expectations. Patients told us it was easy to get an appointment with their own GP or a GP of their choice, which provided continuity of care. They confirmed they were seen or spoken with on the same day if they had an urgent need. GPs kept individual lists so all patients had a named GP.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.

• Reliable systems were in place to maintain safety throughout the practice.

• There was good IT support to enable staff to manage patient records well.

• Treatment rooms and public areas were clean and there were systems in place to ensure hygienic conditions and equipment.

• 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 (PPG).
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice