Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Medical Centre on 26 October 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. However, when things went wrong, the learning from reviews and investigations was not always embedded.

• Risks to patients were generally assessed and well managed, with the exception of those relating to employment checks undertaken. 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.
• 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 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.
• Patients were at risk of harm because systems and processes were not in place to keep them safe. For example appropriate recruitment checks on staff had not been undertaken prior to their employment and security of medicines required improvement.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure recruitment procedure and policy is followed and arrangements include all necessary employment checks for all staff.
• Thoroughly investigate all complaints and significant events to ensure learning opportunities are maximised.
• Review the frequency of basic life support training to ensure it follows best practice guidelines as laid down by the Resuscitation Council (UK).
• Undertake ongoing assessments of the competency of dispensary staff.
• Implement a comprehensive business continuity plan.
• Undertake DBS checks for the volunteer drivers.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice