KS Medical Centre Limited Also known as KS Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at KS Medical Centre on 29 March 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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, although records of analysis and learning from significant events were limited in detail.
• Risks to patients were assessed and generally well-managed, apart from those relating to health and safety, infection control and recruitment checks.
• 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 felt the practice offered a good service and staff were helpful, polite, caring, and treated them with dignity and respect.
• 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.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice had a number of policies and procedures to govern activity but some of these required review.
• The practice did not have a programme of continuous audit to demonstrate quality improvement.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are;

• Take action to address identified concerns with health and safety and fire safety processes.
• Ensure that clinical waste stored inside and outside the practice is managed in accordance with national guidance.
• Ensure that Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are undertaken for all clinical staff including health care assistants.
• Ensure effective governance systems for assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.
• Maintain a record of outcomes and learning from discussions at practice meetings. 

The areas where the provider should make improvement are;

• Establish a comprehensive recording system for the receipt, dissemination and response to safety alerts received by the practice.
• Ensure an effective system for recording and monitoring significant events, incidents and near misses.
• Implement a system to monitor and track prescription pads kept at the practice.
• Review cleaning schedule documentation to ensure that all cleaning tasks are recorded.
• Ensure that staff attend basic life support training at intervals in accordance with national guidance  and undertake infection control and fire safety training as part of a mandatory training programme.
• Ensure that all staff receive regular appraisals.
• Review the business continuity plan to ensure that all potential circumstances are included.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice