Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Staploe Medical Centre on 28 April 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a GP and there was 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 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.

We saw the following areas of outstanding practice;

• The Practice ran a GP team or ‘squadron’ system. GPs were grouped into permanent squadrons to maximise continuity during annual or sick leave. During leave all issues and results for a patient were handled by the same group of GPs with two or more GPs from the same squadron never on leave at the same time, thus maximising continuity of care for patients. The duty GP oversaw the daily triaging of calls, home visits, the agenda for the clinicians morning coffee break meeting and peer review of referrals. The duty team reviewed all out of hours contacts first thing to ensure an early review or visit and where required an early admission to secondary care.
• The practice research team had been recognised as an ‘exemplary medical research team in primary care’ by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and as a consequence had secured two years of awards (research capability funding). The practice acted as a hub for other practices encouraging the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) research ready model and used funds raised by the research team to improve clinical resources and education throughout the practice teams.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Assess the suitability of the drop-off locations for the safe and appropriate storage of medicines.
• Improve the management of blank prescription forms and to ensure that an audit trail of usage was maintained.
• Ensure that all waiting areas of the practice can be clearly seen by reception staff to ensure the safety and security of vulnerable patients.

  We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Staploe Medical Centre on 28 April 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice