- GP practice
Penkridge Medical Practice
All Inspections
17 May 2017
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Penkridge Medical Practice on 7 June 2016. The overall rating for the practice was Good with requires improvement in providing safe services. The full comprehensive report on the 7 June 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Penkridge Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 17 May 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 7 June 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.
Overall the practice is rated as Good.
Our key findings were as follows:
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Significant events were recorded, shared with staff and audited to identify trends.
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Patients had been made aware of how to raise complaints. Complaints were recorded and monitored to identify trends.
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Systems and processes had been implemented to identify patients who were vulnerable adults.
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There was a system in place for tracking blank prescriptions throughout the practice.
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Appropriate recruitment checks had been carried out.
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Staff had completed fire training.
However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
The provider should:
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Add alerts to the practice’s computer system to inform staff if a patient is a vulnerable adult.
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Implement their significant events policy to ensure that staff who do not attend staff meetings are made aware of the learning from significant events.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice
7 June 2016
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Penkridge Medical Practice on 7 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
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Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and to report incidents and near misses.
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Risks to patients were assessed but not always effectively managed.
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Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current evidence based guidance.
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Staff had received training appropriate to their roles to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment. Their career aspirations were well supported.
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Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
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Information about how to complain was available but not readily accessible. The practice responded quickly to issues raised.
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The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
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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.
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The practice had an active patient participation group and had implemented suggestions for improvements and had made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback.
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Access for patients had improved through the implementation of a telephone triage system. Patients requiring a same day appointment were telephoned by a GP. The GP had the options to suggest an appointment slot, issue a prescription or offer a same day appointment.
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The practice was involved in research and had worked with the Clinical Research Network in delivering high quality research opportunities to patients.
We saw one area of area of outstanding practice:
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There was a special focus on the needs of vulnerable adults. The practice was an official foodbank agency voucher provider for emergency food for local people in crisis. Staff were proud of the practices links with the food bank run by a church in Hendesford. Staff had contributed to provide a hamper of gifts for two families in need during the festive period.
The areas where the provider must make improvement are:
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Ensure recruitment checks for staff meet legislative requirements.
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Ensure there is a system in place for uniquely coding patients who were vulnerable adults.
The provider should:
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Develop the significant incident reporting process and ensure all incidents are shared, recorded and effectively audited to maximise learning and help prevent reoccurrence.
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Implement a system to track blank prescriptions held at the practice that monitors their use.
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Consider making the information about the practice’s complaints procedure more accessible to patients and ensure all complaints received are effectively recorded to monitor trends.
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Ensure all staff receive fire safety training.
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Ensure all complaints are recorded to help identify any trends in complaints to improve the quality of the service provided.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice