Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced focused inspection at The Shrubbery Surgery on the 13 May 2015. The provider operated another branch practice within the same area that was not part of this inspection. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe and well-led services.

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

• Risks to patients were identified, assessed and monitored, including those associated with legionella.
• A risk management system had been implemented to help monitor safety within the practice.
• Recruitment checks for staff joining the practice were undertaken and the appropriate information was kept on staff files.
• Clinical audits had been undertaken and the findings shared with staff, and a system of planned audits and re-audits had been implemented to help improve outcomes for patients.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

A comprehensive inspection was undertaken at The Shrubbery Surgery on the 7 October 2014. The provider operated a second branch practice within the same area, that was not part of this inspection.

We found that overall, the practice offered a good level of service to all of the patient population groups who received services from the practice. Our key findings included:-

• patients felt they were treated with respect and dignity
• that staff were helpful, kind and considerate to their needs
• that their privacy and confidentiality was maintained.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly, the provider must:

• Have processes in place for staff to follow to carry out regular checks to reduce the risk of legionella.
• Follow the practice recruitment policy to ensure all checks are in place when staff are employed.
• Review systems and processes for monitoring the quality and safety of the services provided including the completion of risk assessments following infection control audits where risks are identified and take steps to ensure all / other risks are assessed, monitored and managed appropriately.
• Follow processes for undertaking regular full clinical audit cycles to improve patient care.

In addition the provider should:

• Risk assess how emergency medicine stocks are stored.
• Risk assess the systems used for the security and control of blank prescription forms kept in computer printers.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice