Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Peninsula Practice on 2nd December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as outstanding.

Specifically, we found the practice to be outstanding for providing safe, effective, responsive and well-led, services. It was also outstanding for providing services for older people, people with long term conditions, working age people and for families, children and young people. Those in vulnerable circumstances and people experiencing poor mental health also receive outstanding care.

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. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• 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.
• 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.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• The practice reviewed significant events on a six monthly basis to ensure continuation of safety and shared outcomes of these events with staff and amongst other local practices.

• The practice provided a self-funded medication delivery service for those patients that were unable to collect themselves.

• Staff were well supported through stress level and morale assessments, regular appraisals and by undertaken continuous assessments of how staff felt they fitted in the organisation by asking staff where they felt they were situated on “The Peninsula Tree”. Staff safety had also been considered as the highest priority and was reflected in arrangements such as responding to intruder alarms at the practice.

• The practice acted as research hub in cooperation with other local practices and a Clinical Research Network nurse. This had led to increased understanding of the topics covered in the research. For example, a diabetes study to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of patient education and holistic care with their diabetes.

• The practice worked closely with a local trust – the Orford Trust – and AGE UK to offer support and advice to patients and their carers.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice