The Priory Medical Centre

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Priory Medical Centre on the 10th December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Clinical staff regularly reviewed significant events and discussed them with the whole staff team to identify and learn from events.

• Improvements were needed in regard to mitigating safety due to lack of an overall fire risk assessment, no recent infection control audit or hand hygiene audit, gaps in training records and no evidence of environmental risk assessments being in place.

• Some of the staff files lacked evidence of necessary checks required to show safe recruitment and selection procedures.

• The practice was clean and tidy. The practice had good facilities in a purpose built building with access for patients with disabilities.
• The clinical staff proactively sought to educate patients to improve their lifestyles by regularly inviting patients for health assessments. Services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different patient groups.

• The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they met people’s needs.

• Patients spoke highly about the practice and the whole staff team.

• The practice sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service, including through the Patient Participation Group (PPG).
• Information about services and how to complain was available but not accessible in reception, although staff rectified this during our visit. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted upon.

• There was a clear leadership structure with delegated duties distributed amongst the team. The staff worked well together as a team with most staff having worked at the practice for many years offering good stability to patients.

• There were systems in place to monitor and improve quality.

There were areas of practice where the provider must make improvements.

• Take action to ensure its recruitment policy, procedures and arrangements are improved to ensure necessary employment checks are in place for all staff and the required information in respect of workers is held. Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, Fit and Proper Person Employed, Regulation 19 1)2)4)5).

• Ensure that health and safety arrangements including risks assessments are reviewed and accessible to all staff and state clearly what actions are in place to maintain people’s safety. Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, Safe care and treatment, Regulation 12 1)2)a)b)c)d)g)

However there were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

• To ensure safeguard training is available and provided for all staff in regard to vulnerable children adults and children to ensure staff are updated in the level of training needed for their role.

• To develop risk assessments and guidance regarding the decision to not carry emergency drugs in GP bags.

• To review training records to ensure that all staff have evidence of updated training relevant to their role.

• To develop and review an action plan in response to the patient survey including all initiatives raised by staff so they could be effectively monitored for improvements.

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice