23 March 2018
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
This practice is rated as Requires improvement overall. (Previous inspection 26/08/2015 – Good)
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Requires improvement
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? – Requires improvement
As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:
Older People – Requires improvement
People with long-term conditions – Requires improvement
Families, children and young people – Requires improvement
Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Requires improvement
People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Requires improvement
People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) – Requires improvement
We carried out an announced inspection at Mayfield Medical Centre on 23 March 2018 as part of our inspection programme.
At this inspection we found:
- Some risks to patients were assessed and well managed. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
- However, patients were potentially at risk of harm because systems relating to emergency medicines and equipment were not fully effective to keep patients safe.
- Recruitment checks were not managed effectively in line with the practice policy and regulations. Health and safety assessments did not fully minimise risks.
- Arrangements relating to health and safety were not managed effectively.
- The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
- Data showed patient outcomes were mostly in line with or above the local and national averages for most indicators. However, cancer screening rates were below local and national averages.
- Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. Feedback from patients we spoke with during our inspection was highly positive about the caring approach of all staff.
- Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
- The practice understood the needs of its population and tailored services in response to those needs.
- The practice had a number of policies and procedures to govern activity, but some of these needed to be reviewed to ensure they contained up to date information.
The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:
- Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Consider annual reviews of significant events to facilitate trend analysis of the issues recorded.
- Establish a system for logging safety alerts received to assure themselves how these have been acted on.
- Strengthen the system for managing staff training to ensure all training considered mandatory is undertaken and up to date.
- Update the complaints leaflet for patients with up to date signposting information.
- Strengthen ways in which the service seeks and acts on patients’ views in regards to the care and treatment provided through engaging with more patient participation group members.
- Review processes in place to improve uptake rates for national screening programmes.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice