Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Whetstone Lane Medical Centre – CM Pleasance on 26 May 2016. 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.

• 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 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 management. 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 areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice carried out monthly audits of patients on the mental health register who were prescribed antipsychotic drugs this was to ensure they had received their medication. Actions were taken with any issues identified by the audit, such as discussing with the patient or contacting their community mental health worker.

• The practice worked closely with local homeless shelters and specialist homelessnessnurses to ensure this vulnerable group of patients had access to health services. The practice worked closely with patients and the health and social care professionals supporting them to ensure their health and social care needs were met. For example, the practice monitored missed appointments for this group of patients and contacted health and social care professionals to ensure they were safe.

• The practice registered and provided emergency appointments to homeless patients. The chief executive of one of the local homeless shelters and specialist homelessness nurses told us the practice worked proactively with them to ensure some of the most marginalised people in society received appropriate and safe healthcare.

• The practice and the PPG had worked to engage patients who were homeless including arranging meetings when homeless patients were more likely to attend.

• The practice had a policy of not turning away homeless patients who presented with aggressive behaviour. If a situation occurred the staff would contact the homeless shelters or specialist homelessness nurses to arrange for them to attend to support the patient.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice