Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Southsea Medical Centre on 1 September 2016. The practice was rated good for providing safe, caring, responsive and well-led services, and was rated requires improvement for providing effective services . The overall rating for the practice was good. The full comprehensive report on the September 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Southsea Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 12 July 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 1 September 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

The practice is now rated as good for providing effective services.

Our key findings for 12 July 2017:

• There was a comprehensive and organised training schedule for all staff and an updated policy on mandatory training requirements.
• There was protected staff time for training and for practice meetings.
• Practice management had a clear oversight of all staff training requirements.
• There was a focus on communication within the practice with regards to all policy and safety updates. All staff had to sign each policy update once they had read it to ensure they were aware of the change.
• The practice was working on increasing the number of carers on its register, including working alongside local care voluntary groups and the patient participation group. A member of staff was designated to increase carer support and the practice now offered longer appointments to this patients group.
• The practice was now offering extended hours on a Saturday morning from 8am to 12pm for pre-bookable GP appointments.
• Patients with long term conditions were now offered longer appointments.
• Complaints were being dealt with comprehensively and in a timely fashion.

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 Southsea Medical Centre on 1 September 2016. 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. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• 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.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

• Ensure all staff receive training in areas which the practice considers are mandatory. Such as adult safeguarding, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, fire safety and infection control.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Continue to review arrangements for identifying patients who are also carers.

• Continue to review actions to improve the wellbeing, support and care of patients with long term conditions and for health screening such as cervical screening, breast and bowel screening.

• Review arrangements for promoting ways in which patients are able to provide feedback.

• Review arrangements for handling complaints to include information on other agencies patients may approach if they are not satisfied with the practice response. Ensure that themes or trends identified are acted on appropriately and in a timely manner.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice