Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Adderlane Surgery on 10 October 2017. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an effective system for reporting, recording and learning from significant events.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. They had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Staff were consistent and proactive in supporting patients to live healthier lives through a targeted approach to health promotion.
• Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the quality of care and treatment they received. Results from the NHS National Patient Survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect, and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Patient satisfaction with access to appointments was very high. Patients we spoke with said they could make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available on the same day.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• The practice had a clear vision to deliver high quality care and promote good outcomes for patients. There were a strong and cohesive staff team, with high levels of staff satisfaction.

We also saw an area of outstanding practice:

• Feedback from patients about opening hours, access to appointments and the quality of their care and treatment, was continuously very positive. The results of the NHS National GP Patient Survey, published in July 2017, placed the practice in the top 10 best performing surgeries in the North East and in the top 110 surgeries nationally. Data from the survey showed patients rated the practice significantly higher for all aspects of care, when compared to the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and national averages. This high level of achievement had been sustained over a number of years.

The areas where the practice must make improvements are:

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.

There were also areas where the provider should make improvements. The provider should:

• Introduce a structured approach to reviewing clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

• Review the arrangements for identifying and designating lead roles to ensure they are effective in meeting the needs of the practice.

• Consider developing a clear structured approach to the triaging of the clinical needs of patients who are requesting home visits and introduce arrangements for carrying out regular reviews of the reasons for referring patients to secondary care services.

• Keep their carer register up-to-date and consider providing patients who are also carers with annual screening for depression, as well as an annual healthcare check.

• Consider providing annual health checks for patients aged over 75 years of age.

• Develop a business plan to help drive improvements.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice