Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We visited The Hollies Surgery on the 22 January 2015 and carried out a comprehensive inspection. We found that the practice provided a safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led service. The overall rating for this practice is good.

We examined patient care across the following population groups: older people; those with long term medical conditions; families, babies, children and young people; working age people and those recently retired; people in vulnerable circumstances who may have poor access to primary care; and people experiencing poor mental health. We found that care was tailored appropriately to the individual circumstances and needs of the patients in these groups.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Patients were satisfied with the appointment system and felt they were treated with dignity, care and respect. They were involved in decisions about their care and treatment and were happy with the care that they received from the practice.

• The practice was friendly, caring and responsive. It addressed patients’ needs and worked in partnership with other health and social care services to deliver individualised care.

• The needs of patients were understood and services were offered to meet these.

• The practice effectively used the benefits of being part of a large partnership, whilst retaining the individuality of being a small practice.

• There were a number of clinical teams who specialised in different areas, in order to provide a focussed and effective service to patients.

We saw some areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice offered dementia screening for patients with Down's Syndrome who were aged over 40 years of age.

• The practice worked well with their patient representative group. There was evidence that they provided external oversight and scrutiny in relation to complaints and significant events. A patient representative was also on the interview panel for the Chief Executive Post.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice