Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Milton Surgery on 18 January 2017. 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 in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• 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 GP and urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. However, the overall internal decoration of the practice required updating. Areas of damp and mould were seen within treatment and consultation rooms where patients with respiratory illness were seen.
• 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.

The area where the provider must make improvement is:

• Ensure that formal action plans are implemented to address any improvements identified as a result of the annual infection control audits.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure that carers are identified and supported appropriately.

• Ensure the timely implementation of the practice’s refurbishment plan.

• Conversations taking place in consultation and treatment rooms should not be overheard from the corridor or from one room to another.

• To consider a formal protocol for call handlers to work to with regards to managing urgent requests for consultations and home visits.

• Ensure that any identified risks are formally assessed and recorded to aid the management of the risks and to implement mitigating actions. This includes risk assessments regarding legionella, the absence of child defibrillator pads and health risks to staff and patients due to indoor dampness and mould within clinical rooms.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice