Archived: Asquith Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the Asquith Surgery on 12 July 2017. 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 a system in place for reporting, recording and reviewing significant events.
• The practice had systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Prescription forms and pads were stored securely and patients receiving high risk medicines were regularly reviewed.
• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance and their training had provided them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment. There was also a focus on ongoing learning and training to maintain and develop skills.
• The practice aimed to provide patient centred care taking into account patients’ needs, circumstances and preferences.
• Results from the national GP patient survey were comparable with local and national averages and showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain or raise concerns was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care because of complaints and concerns.
• Patients who commented on their care described the service as good and said they were treated as individuals. They said they found it relatively easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• 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 patient participation group was actively involved with the practice, for example ensuring that information in the waiting room was kept up to date.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.
• The provider had taken its role in caretaking the practice seriously and had supported staff and tried to improve the service. For example, it had increased the numbers of NHS checks undertaken from 17 to 285 over a 12 month period, and carried out a project to identify those patients who would benefit from an advance care plan and provided these.
• Several patients and the patient participation group felt the practice had improved during the caretaking period.

There were areas where the provider should make improvements:

The practice should ensure that all significant events discussed at the weekly clinical meetings are also documented in the significant events folder to ensure that any trends are identified and learning shared with all staff.

The practice should ensure that staff continue to undertake clinical audits and quality improvement.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice