Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Drs King, Hill and Entwistle on 7 June 2016. Overall the practice was rated as requires improvement. We rated the practice as requires improvement in the four domains of safety, effective, responsive and well led. We rated the practice good for the caring domain. The practice was issued with Requirement Notices and a Warning Notice. The full comprehensive report on the 7 June 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Drs King, Hill and Entwistle on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
We undertook an announced comprehensive inspection on 25 April 2017 to check that the practice had responded to the concerns which were identified during the inspection of 7 June 2016. The practice is now rated as good overall.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
- There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
- The practice had defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
- Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
- Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
- Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
- Patients we spoke with said they found it easy to make an appointment with their registered 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 leadership structure and staff said they felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
- The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.
There were areas where the provider should make improvement. The provider should:
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Develop a formal programme or plan of continuous clinical and internal audit.
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Good practice and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were used by staff but the provider should implement a system to ensure these guidelines were followed up and appropriate actions taken to stop this happening again.
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Review the staff training matrix to ensure accurate records are kept for the full training undertaken by staff.
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Ensure measures are in place to maintain the security of prescription forms used in printers when the printer is left unattended, such as overnight or when the consulting room is not in use.
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Undertake a risk assessment for the handling and use of liquid nitrogen.
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Ensure full records are completed for the system in place for cascading safety alerts.
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Complete full records for each significant event analysis including the analysis formto show the investigation that has been undertaken and what actions have been taken.
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Undertake an audit of all staff files to ensure f
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice