Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Whittaker Lane Medical Practice

on 21 June 2 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. Detailed records were kept and there was evidence of learning.
• 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.
• A detailed pre-diabetes audit took place and became a service development. The practice was developing the education for this group of patients to try and reduce the incidence of diabetes. Pre-diabetic patient educational workshops had taken place and were planned to continue.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Many patients described the service and care they received as excellent. They said their health care needs were dealt with by GPs who were patient and listened to what they had to say.
• 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 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We spoke with three patients during our inspection. They all gave us positive feedback about the practice, the doctors and the other staff. They told us they liked having an ‘open surgery’ once a week, and it was not difficult to book an appointment at other times. They said they were treated respectfully. Patients’ comments included “The doctors are great, and they explain everything they need to” and “It’s a good practice and it now has extended opening so it’s better for working people”.

Patients with long term conditions were monitored and plans were in place to reduce the possibility of some patients being admitted to hospital. Individual patient plans were also in place for patients who frequently attended the hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) department or the NHS walk-in centre when the practice could have looked after their needs.

All areas of the practice were visibly clean. The cleaner confirmed each day that they had completed their tasks and the practice manager monitored this.

The practice manager carried out checks to make sure all the doctors and nurses were appropriately registered. They were in the process of updating their checks of whether medical professionals had a criminal record. Most staff had worked at the practice for a number of years. There was a recruitment process to follow for when they recruited new staff to ensure all appropriate checks were completed.