Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Om Medical Centre on 25 March 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, but no analysis had been carried out. The practice could not demonstrate that any learning had occurred from significant events and incidents.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
• 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.
• Patients were able to book routine appointment s with the GP at a time that suited them. Urgent appointments were 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. Some audits had been carried out; we saw little evidence that audits were driving improvement in performance to improve patient outcomes.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Patients’ views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care.

Patients experienced care, treatment and support that met their individual needs and protected their rights.

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet patients’ needs.

The provider did not have an effective system in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that patients received. The provider did not have an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of patients and others.

The provider did not have an effective system in place for dealing with complaints. The provider had failed to ensure people who use services were aware of how to make a complaint. The provider was not able to evidence that it was following guidance set out in its own complaints policy.