Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Surgery, Kirkby-in-Furness (also known as Duddon Valley Medical Practice) on 16th June 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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

• 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. Patients we spoke to said the practice felt like “family”.
• 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 named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments 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 the management team.
• 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.

We saw some examples of outstanding practice:

• The practice set up a service called Duddon Valley Volunteers to offer extra support to patients who needed it. The practice identified patients who might be in need of extra input due to fraility or social isolation, for example. These patients would then receive a phone call and/or a visit at home from one of the practice staff to offer them a “friendly face” to talk to. Patients who spoke to us told us how important this service was to them, and that the holistic approach taken by staff at the practice made them feel valued.
• The leadership drove continuous improvement and staff were accountable for delivering change. The management of the practice was shared across the whole team, to meet the demands of a small, rural practice and the challenge of transitioning to be a single-handed GP practice. This had resulted in a marked improvement in the Quality and Outcomes Framework performance, as well as allowing the practice to implement a new appointment system to manage demand. There was a high level of staff satisfaction, and staff were proud of the organisation and spoke highly of the culture.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice