Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Vesper Road Surgery on 14 September 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care for all of the population groups it serves.

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

• The ethos and culture of the practice was to provide good quality service and care to patients.

• Patients told us they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in care and decisions about their treatment.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat and meet the needs of patients. Information regarding the services provided by the practice and how to make a complaint was readily available for patients.

• Patients we spoke with were generally positive about access to the service. They said they found there was continuity of care and urgent appointments were available on the same day as requested.

• The practice of, and complied with, the requirements of the duty of candour. (The duty of candour is a set of specific legal requirements that providers of services must follow when things go wrong with care and treatment.)

• The partners a culture of openness and honesty which was reflected in their approach to safety.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

• There were comprehensive safeguarding systems in place; particularly around vulnerable children and adults.

• The practice sought patient views about how improvements could be made to the service, through the use of patient surveys, the NHS Friends and Family Test and the patient participation group.

• There was a clear leadership structure.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• The practice linked with consultant colleagues for rapid opinions by using a derma scope which was able to send pictures of skin lesions to specialists for opinions, and was able to send electronically electro cardio graphs by a ‘cloud’ to heart specialistfor accurate reading.These services ensured that patients had rapid specialist’s assessments without the need to attend hospital in many cases. Since January 2016 37 patients had benefited from the dermatasope remote assessment and in the same period 52 from the remote ECG assessment.

However there were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

• The practice should ensure that clinicians administering immunisations receive at least the minimum training updates.

• The practice should reconsider its Infection Prevention and Control action plan and in particular the maintenance of records for the cleaning of individual pieces of clinical equipment.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

During our inspection we visited the Vesper Road site. There was also a branch site at Morris Lane in Leeds.

Patients told us they were happy with the care provided and were involved with their care and treatment needs. Patients we spoke with told us their dignity was respected and confidentiality was always maintained. One person told us, “The GP explains the treatment options.” We saw the surgery sought the views of patients through a comments box in the reception area and the results a patient questionnaire had been published on the surgery’s website.

People had thorough, detailed care and treatment plans relating to all aspects of their care needs. They contained a good level of information setting out exactly how each person should be supported to ensure their care needs were met. We spoke with three people who used the service and they told us they were happy with the care and treatment they received. On person told us, “Care and support is alright.”

People who used the service were protected against the risk of abuse. All staff had received training in abuse awareness and protecting children and vulnerable adults. The policies and procedures were available to all staff in relation to safeguarding.

Patients were treated by staff who were supported to deliver care safely and to an appropriate standard. Staff had a programme of on-going training, supervision and appraisal.

There was an effective complaints system in place. Complaints people made were responded to appropriately.