Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out a previous announced comprehensive inspection of this practice on 11 April 2016. Overall, we rated the practice as good. However, there was a breach of legal requirement. In particular, we found the provider had not made appropriate arrangements to make sure that medicines were managed safely and appropriately. The provider had also not made sure there was a rigorous system in place for recording actions taken in response to medicines safety alerts, or for ensuring the secure storage of all medicines requiring cool storage.

After the comprehensive inspection the practice wrote to us to say what they would do to address the identified breach. We undertook this announced focussed inspection, on 23 August 2016, to check that the practice had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirement. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for White Medical Group on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Our key findings were as follows:

• The provider had complied with the requirement notice we set following our last inspection visit. We found improvements had been made and that medicines were safely managed within the dispensaries.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the White Medical Group on 11 April 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. The staff team took the opportunity to learn from all internal and external incidents.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. They had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

• Overall, risks to patients and staff were assessed and well managed, and there was evidence of good governance arrangements. However, we identified concerns about the management of medicines in the practice’s dispensary, which could potentially have placed patients at risk of receiving an unsafe service.

• Services were tailored to meet the needs of individual patients and were delivered in a way that ensured flexibility, choice and continuity of care. All staff were actively engaged in monitoring and improving quality and patient outcomes. Staff were committed to supporting patients to live healthier lives, through a targeted and proactive approach to health promotion.

• Outcomes for patients were consistently very good. Data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) showed that patient outcomes in the clinical and public health indicators covered were above average, when compared to the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and England averages. The practice had also performed well in respect of their cervical screening uptake rate, which was higher at 87.07%, than the national average of 81.83%.

• Patients’ emotional and social needs were seen as being as important as their physical needs, and there was a strong, person-centred culture. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in decisions about their treatment.

• The practice had very good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

• Ensure medicines are managed safely and appropriately. This includes making sure there is a rigorous system for recording actions taken in response to medicines safety alerts, and ensuring that all medicines requiring cool storage are stored securely.

However, there were also areas where the provider needs to make improvements. The provider should:

• Ensure the practice’s significant event reports, and ‘near-miss’ dispensary events, include more detail regarding the lessons to be learned from what happened, and what needs to change to achieve this.

• Carry out regular checks to confirm that nursing staff continue to be registered with their professional body. Ensure there is documentary evidence to confirm this.

• Provide information about complaints in the patient waiting areas.

• Make sure sharps bins are signed and dated by the member of staff who sets them up.

(Stamfordham Surgery: currently a registered location. Will shortly be de-registered. We have included this information in the main practice report so that the ‘Should Do’s’ for this location are not lost:

• Carry out a lone working risk assessment.

(Wylam Surgery: currently a registered location. Will shortly be de-registered. We have included this information in the main practice report so that the ‘Should Do’s’ for this location are not lost:

• Provide staff with access to a defibrillator.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice