Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Pinn Medical Centre on 12 July 2016. Overall the practice is rated as Outstanding.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal incidents were maximised.

• The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice. For example, the practice carried out 'Virtual Wards' for the multidisciplinary management of patients with long term conditions and to reduce the need for admission to hospital. They also

   and accommodated and supported outreach clinics to provide specialist care locally in the community.

• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.

• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group. For example, the practice had introduced a flexible appointment system and diabetes clinics.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

• The practice actively reviewed complaints and how they are managed and responded to, and made improvements as a result.

• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. The strategy to deliver this vision had been produced with stakeholders and was regularly reviewed and discussed with staff.
• The practice had a strong and visible clinical and managerial leadership who sought to ensure services were developed in response to patient and staff feedback. There were effective  

  and governance arrangements which focussed on delivering good quality care .

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• The practice’s effectiveness in managing patients conditions locally, through delivering a high level of specialist care within the GP setting through the range of specialist interests provided through the GPs, supported by hospital consultants.
• The practice had the capacity to deliver unlimited telephone consultations to support patients with minor ailments.
• The practice had a very engaged PPG which influenced practice development which allowed the practice to set up a volunteer driver service comprising of 25 drivers who supported 60 patients with mobility issues including support with shopping and a befriending service. In collaboration with the PPG, the practice held information talks and organised patient education events.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice