Archived: Bermondsey and Lansdowne Medical Mission

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Bermondsey and Lansdowne Medical Mission on 22 April 2015, which included a visit to the branch surgery The Artesian. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led services. It was outstanding for providing services to older people and good for providing services to people with long term conditions; families, children and young people; working age people and those recently retired and students; people whose circumstances make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Patients said that they were treated with kindness and respect, their dignity was maintained, they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment and said staff were caring;
• Information about the services provided, how to get involved with the Patient Participation Group and how to complain were available and easy to understand;
• Patients reported good access to urgent on the day appointments, however they expressed concerns over the length of time they had to wait for a routine appointment with their preferred or named GP;
• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to report incidents and raise concerns;
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed;
• There were clinical leads for the common health conditions experienced by patients at the practice including a diabetes specialist GP who provided support for patients with complex diabetes;
• Systems were in place for clinical staff to keep up to date with best practice guidance;
• Data showed the practice was above and in line with national and local averages;
• Systems were in place for audit cycles to be completed with the information shared with all GPs.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• The employment of a specialist nurse co-ordinator for older people, who carried out home visits for housebound patients, worked with other health and social care providers to ensure joined up care and was able to signpost patients and their carers to local support services;
• The support given to patients receiving end of life care and the patients relatives and carers.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

In addition the provider should:

• Ensure the risk assessment regarding Disclosure and Barring Service checks for non-clinical staff who may carry out a chaperone role considers if these staff would be left alone with patients;
• Improve the system to check emergency medicines are in date;
• Provide infection control training for the cleaner;
• Apply to CQC to make the required changes to the practice registration.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice