Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Cedars Surgery on 19 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 for reporting and recording significant events.
• 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.
• The practice was a training practice and provided mentoring for trainee GPs and paramedic practitioners. The practice also provided placements for apprentice non-clinical staff.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• There was an active patient participation group (PPG) which worked with the practice to provide several support groups for patients and carers.
• 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.
• 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 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 several areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice had developed an extensive resource folder for patients with a learning disability. This could be used to assist communication during consultations and reduce barriers for patients who found it hard to use or access services.
• The practice was empowering patients by engaging with the patient participation group (PPG) and working in partnership with them to improve services and outcomes for patients and patients who were also carers.
• The PPG and the practice were working together to provide a support group for patients with type two diabetes to provide a forum for patients to share their experiences and explore alternative avenues for support and resources.
• The practice was working with the PPG to provide a support group for patients who were also carers for people with dementia.
• There was an active patient participation group that conducted bi-monthly ‘walk about’ sessions.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about The Cedars Surgery on 14 May 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.