Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Temple Hill Surgery on 5 October 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 for reporting and recording significant events and learning from these was discussed and shared at practice meetings.
• 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• Data from the national GP patient survey rated the practice higher than the clinical commissioning group (CCG) and the national average for telephone access.
• The practice had good facilities and although originally built to serve approximately 2,500 patients rather than the 6,500 currently registered, had made good use of all available space and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• The practice had made ultra-sound scanning available at the practice for patients and the wider population, as a replacement for scanning at the local hospital which had been closed.
• 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 one area of outstanding practice:

• Best interest meetings for patients with a learning disability were 20 minutes long and held outside of regular appointment times. Family members, advocates, social services and a GP attended these meetings.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Continue working to recruit patients to the Patient Participation Group.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice