Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out this comprehensive inspection on 4 February 2015.

Overall, we rated this practice as good.

Our key findings 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.
• The practice provided a good standard of care, led by current best practice guidelines.
• The majority of people told us they were treated with dignity and respect.
• The buildings were clean, and the risk of infection was kept to a minimum by systems such as the use of disposable sterile instruments.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.

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

While patients could generally access appointments, feedback from the national GP patient survey and NHS Choices showed a number of people were dissatisfied with the wait to see their GP of choice.

The provider should:

• Continue to explore solutions to improve patient satisfaction at being able to access their GP of choice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Patients told us they were asked their consent prior to treatment being carried out. They said they were treated with dignity and privacy was respected. Comments included, “They ask my permission each time” and “I can’t remember the staff asking for my consent but I come here so I guess I have given them permission to see me.”

Patients spoken with said they were provided with information about treatment options to enable them to make informed choices. They told us they were happy with the care and treatment they received. There were differing views from patients regarding the ease of obtaining an appointment. Comments included, “I don’t always see the same doctor; it depends who is on duty at the time of my appointment”, “It’s really easy getting an appointment at the practice” and “You can see a specific doctor if you are prepared to wait a little longer for your appointment.”

We found each of the four branches of the practice to be clean and tidy. There were systems in place to prevent and control the spread of infection. We found the décor in the smallest branch was tired and in need of refreshing.

We found staff had access to training and were supported in their roles by GPs and other managers. Comments from staff included, “It’s a very supportive practice”, “I have been well supported in anything I have chosen to do” and “The managers are very supportive.”

We found there were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided to patients. This included audits and surveys to obtain patients views so that improvements could be made.