Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Alice Medical Centre on 24 May 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 was in place for reporting, investigating and recording significant events.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed overall. This included appropriate recruitment checks, medicines management and emergency procedures.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

• Clinical audits were driving improvements to patient outcomes.

• Feedback from patients about their care, and their interactions with all practice staff, was consistently and strongly positive. 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 named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.

• 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 a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. The strategy and business plan to deliver this vision was reviewed and discussed with staff.

• The practice had suitable arrangements in place for clinical and managerial leadership.

• There was a clear leadership structure in place and staff felt respected, valued and supported.

• The Patient Participation Group (PPG) had started to be active from April 2016.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Consider how to use the carers register more proactively to improve support for carers.

• Strengthen oversight of responses to complainants’ to make sure these address all concerns raised by them.

• Continue to proactively recruit PPG members to ensure they provide a voice for patients, and are influential in shaping service provision.

• Review the systems for recalling patients with learning disabilities to attend for their annual health checks and / or receive regular monitoring.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice