20 October 2015
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Desborough Surgery on 20 October 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
- Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed although the significant event process would benefit from review.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
- Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned although some update training was overdue.
- 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’ satisfaction regarding making an appointment with a GP was below average in the 2015 national survey with patients expressing dissatisfaction regarding the telephone system and difficulty in getting an appointment. However, the practice was addressing this and patients reported that they could see a GP urgently if they needed to.
- 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 sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
Importantly the provider should :
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Review the significant event process to ensure all events are identified and recorded consistently and consider regular review.
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Ensure regular update training is completed for all staff.
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Complete actions identified in the infection control audit and ensure infection control training is completed for all staff.
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Introduce a means of ensuring more privacy at reception.
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Continue work to address areas of patient dissatisfaction identified in the 2015 national patient survey.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice