Archived: Dr Surinder Kumar Arora Also known as Herne Hill Road Medical Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Surinder Kumar Arora (Herne Hill Medical Practice) on 9 February 2016. 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 an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events. However it was not always clear what action had been taken in response to significant events or the dates when these events had occurred.
• Risks to patients were not always well managed. We found that some staff had not completed certain mandatory training and that the practice did not always perform checks for new staff as outlined in their recruitment policy.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• 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 provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice ran educational sessions at the local library with input from the Patient Participation Group (PPG); including sessions for carers, cancer and dementia awareness and a well in winter evening. Though the PPG was already representative of the diversity of the patient population, the practice had run a further awareness session to promote patient inclusion.The practice manager and one of the receptionists had won a kindness award after being nominated by the PPG. The practice was subsequently approached by their Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to participate in a film about PPG’s.The PPG had raised money to purchase a specialised chair for the practice waiting area to accommodate elderly patients. One member of the PPG was actively involved in a community farming project. The practice referred patients to the farm whom they felt would benefit from participating in the project.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

• Improve its significant events procedures to ensure that action is taken to address all concerns identified.

• Ensure that mandatory training is completed in accordance with current guidelines.

• Ensure that pre-employment checks are completed for all staff and that systems are in place to monitor their professional registrations.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Consider reviewing its mechanisms for recording meetings.

• Consider documenting a strategic business plan.

• The practice should take further proactive steps to identify patients with caring responsibilities.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice