Penkridge Medical Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

We found people’s safety within this service was integral to the care and treatment they received. All staff understood the importance of keeping people safe and where there were concerns identified about people’s safety these were actioned promptly and improvements made.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

Leaders had good processes in place to ensure the management of the practice was good. We found all the necessary systems, policies and procedures in place staff understood them. We found a complaints process was in place to ensure people could raise concerns as required and these would be investigated. We saw that appropriate reviews and monitoring were taking place and the practice was managed and run in a way that ensured the care and treatment people received was good.

Staff and leaders understood their roles and we found where there were resourcing issues that could impact the care and treatment people received, leaders took immediate action to make the improvements needed to ensure any impact on people's care and treatment would be limited. Incidents, near misses, significant events were being noted as required and any actions needed were taken. The feedback we had showed the practice was managed in a way that ensure the care and treatment people received was good.

People told us that the care and treatment they received was good. They told us the improvements the provider made to the telephone system had made it much better in accessing a GP when needed.

We did not look at Safeguarding during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Involving people to manage risks during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

During our checks we found the environment to be clean, tidy and secure. The practice also had appropriate facilities in place to ensure where people who had difficulty accessing the building under the disability act, there were appropriate processes in place to support them and keep them safe. Emergency equipment was available and checked on a regular basis. Medicines/Vaccines were stored in accordance with guidelines and the practice had systems in place to ensure the temperature of medicine fridges were managed following expected guidelines.

We did not look at Safe and effective staffing during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Infection prevention and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We carried out a clinical search of how the practice managed people’s care and treatment. While we had concerns raised from a whistle blower as to how the practice was managed, we found actions that were taken had reduced any significant risks there may have been to people’s care and treatment. We found staff resources had been increased so people could access their medicines as and when needed. This reduced that medicines would not be available when needed. We found where people’s medicines needed to be reviewed this was happening and where concerns had been identified the practice took action to rectify this. We found that leaders had taken actions to ensure staff were supported and able to carry out their duties. Staff we spoke with confirmed this and as a result people received good care and treatment. Leaders could demonstrate that emergency medicines were checked regularly and where audits were needed these had been carried out. Staff could show that medicine stocks and regularly checking was taking place. Staff told us they received the support needed to ensure their roles within the management of medicines were being met so people could be kept safe and we found that MHRA alert guidance (Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency) was being followed appropriately.

We found from our observations that the practice had put systems in place to minimise risks and improve people’s care as a result of a backlog of correspondences that had built up over time. We saw from our observations that the improvements made had worked and as a result any risks to people’s care and treatment was minimised. They had action plans in place where needed so they could monitor how their improvements were working and make changes as needed to ensure people continued to receive good care. We found where people had recently been discharged from hospital and needed further medicines that these were being made available in a timely manner.

The clinical searches showed that some routine reviews and follow ups had not been completed in the timescales required. However, we observed that the practice had put in place the appropriate actions to ensure that the clinical team were now able to complete all reviews and follow ups so as not to impact people’s care and treatment and people’s would get their medicines on time. The practice had the appropriate processes in place to ensure medicines were stored appropriately and checked as per required guidance. There were comprehensive processes in place, so medicines management was delivered in a safe way and people were not put at risk.

People told us they were happy with the care and treatment they received. Some people we spoke with had been with the practice over 30 years because the care they received was so good. People were able to receive their medicines and vaccinations in a timely manner.