22 June 2016
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gorton Street Practice on 22 June 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.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
- Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
- Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 two areas of outstanding practice:
- In response to the needs of the local population, the practice offered a sexual health clinic to all patients in the area both registered at the practice or elsewhere. They offered all patients free HIV screening.
- The practice had a higher percentage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients (7%) on its list compared to the national average (1.5%). The practice had been recognised as being LGBT friendly by the local LGBT group and had been awarded the Navajo mark.
The areas where the provider should make improvement are:
- Ensure that systems are put in place to check that actions identified by significant event reports are put in place and are effective.
- Ensure that all items of communication received by the practice are seen by the GPs before being filed.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice