Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out a comprehensive inspection as part of our inspection programme at The Dale Medical Practice on 11 April 2017 which was rated as good overall, however the key question responsive was rated as requires improvement.
The full comprehensive report for this inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Dale Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
This inspection was a focused desk top inspection carried out on 18 December 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the requirements in relation to those identified in our previous inspection on 11 April 2017. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.
Overall the practice is rated as good with the key question responsive now rated as good.
Our key findings were as follows.
- The practice had installed a new telephone system which had reduced the time patients were kept on hold.
- The reception staffing structure had been changed to ensure there were sufficient staffing levels at peak times.
- The practice increased their core opening hours to 8am to 6.30pm and no longer closed on Wednesday afternoons.
- The practice receptionists had been trained to triage and signpost patients more effectively to the most appropriate service.
- The practice had carried out their own patient survey which had shown an improvement in patient satisfaction.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice