Haden Vale Medical Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Haden Vale Medical Practice on 28 April 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, learning was not always shared with all staff members.
• 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.
• Most 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.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

The practice employed an ‘elderly social care co-ordinator’ who organised coffee mornings every two weeks and trips away. We saw that a group of patients had gone away during Christmas and another residential event was planned for the summer. The elderly care co-ordinator also acted as an advocate to access other social services and visited patients in their homes. Some patients told us that the social events and coffee mornings helped them deal with bereavement and other issues they had experienced. They told us that the activities of the care co-ordinator had made a positive impact on their physical and mental wellbeing as they could access peers for support through the activities organised.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure learning from all incidents, significant events and complaints are shared appropriately with staff to prevent re-occurrence

• Ensure emergency equipment is being checked regularly to confirm they are in working order.

• Ensure practice performance for diabetes and mental health related indicators are improved.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice