Archived: Aberfeldy Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Aberfeldy Practice on 30 June 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.
• 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• 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. For example, they had in-house phlebotomy run by the healthcare assistant daily.
• The practice worked and supported the local community. For example, the practice held a number of health promotion events at the local schools and community centres for vulnerable people.
• 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.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

They proactively arranged health promotional events in the community in different settings and locations to encourage healthy lifestyle and self-care and worked with other organisations such as the health trainers to promote this. As a result of the work the practice did, their A&E attendance was 19% less than the CCG average in 2014/15 and unverified data shows that they were 15% less than the CCG average in 2015/16.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice