Archived: Dr Shambhu Singh

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This is the report of findings from our inspection of Dr. Shambhu N Singh’s surgery. Our comprehensive inspection was a planned inspection, which took place on 22 October 2014. This practice had not been inspected before.

We rated this service overall as good. Patients were complimentary about the care and treatment they received at this practice and spoke positively about all the staff working there.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Patients could always get an appointment when they wanted one and had no difficulty in contacting the surgery.
• Patients were very satisfied and were complimentary about the service they received from their family GP in this small surgery in the heart of a settled community.
• Patients were treated with courtesy and respect and involved in their diagnosis and treatment choices.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements. 

Importantly, the provider must:

• Ensure that patients are protected by gathering and reviewing the information in relation to people working at the practice as required by the regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. This concerns the recruitment of staff and the personnel information required including proof of identity, qualifications, employment history and relevant Disclosure and Barring Checks (DBS). Checks are carried out, if necessary to the role, and the relevant information retained as required by the legislation.

In addition the provider should:

• Formalise in writing the range of governance protocols applicable in the practice.
• Consideration should be given to the time available to the part time practice manager to action the managerial functions in the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice