Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We last carried out a comprehensive inspection of Stafford Medical Group on 4 February 2015. At that inspection the practice was found to be requiring improvement within the responsive domain. . This focused inspection undertaken on 16 September 2015 was specifically to follow up on the findings from our last inspection in February 2015. This report should be read in conjunction with our previous inspection report undertaken on 4 February 2015; this report was published on 23 July 2015.

Since our last inspection action had been taken by the provider to improve the service for patients and we found the practice was now meeting the regulation for dignity and respect with the overall rating for the responsive domain being good. We found the quality of care in the six population groups remained the same as the previous inspection where we rated them good.

Our key findings were as follows:

• There were arrangements in place to reduce the time patients waited to be seen for their appointments.
• The practice reviewed and identified improvements following national patient survey results to improve patient care.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Stafford Medical Group on 8th and 9th November 2017 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 learned from them and improved their processes.

• 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.

• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

• They were knowledgeable about issues and priorities relating to the quality and future of services. They understood the challenges and were addressing them. For example, they had developed a plan to move the service forward which included reviewing facilities and succession planning for the leadership and clinical provision at the practice.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Continue with a programme of identifying and supporting carers.

• The provider should continue to keep under review the facilities and environment at Stafford Place to ensure that they are safe and fit for purpose, and to meet the needs of the patients who use it.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Stafford Medical Group on 8th and 9th November 2017 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 learned from them and improved their processes.

• 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.

• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

• They were knowledgeable about issues and priorities relating to the quality and future of services. They understood the challenges and were addressing them. For example, they had developed a plan to move the service forward which included reviewing facilities and succession planning for the leadership and clinical provision at the practice.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Continue with a programme of identifying and supporting carers.

• The provider should continue to keep under review the facilities and environment at Stafford Place to ensure that they are safe and fit for purpose, and to meet the needs of the patients who use it.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice