Archived: Highfields Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Highfields Medical Centre on 14 October 2015.

Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Urgent appointments were available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities including disabled access and was found to be clean and tidy.
• Information about services and how to complain was available.
• Patients said they felt the practice offered an excellent service and staff were friendly and caring and treated them with dignity and respect
• There were systems in place to reduce risks to patient safety for example, infection control procedures.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Recruitment checks were carried out and the appropriate recruitment checks had been undertaken prior to employment.
• The practice had a comprehensive business continuity plan in place for major incidents such as power failure or building damage.

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses.

• Complaints were managed and dealt with effectively.

However there were areas where the provider should make improvements.

Importantly the provider should:

• Make available training of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to their role.
• Ensure action plan for Learning Disability reviews is monitored through the practice meetings.
• Continuously monitor feedback to evidence improvement in relation to appointment satisfaction.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice