Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Emmett Carr Surgery on 8 November 2016. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report dated 8 November 2016 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Emmett Carr Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
We undertook an announced focused inspection on 8 May 2017 to confirm that Emmett Carr Surgery had carried out their plan, to meet the legal requirement in relation to the breach in regulation that we identified in our previous inspection. This report covers our findings in relation to the requirement and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.
.Overall the practice is now rated as good. Our key findings were as follows:
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The practice had completed their action plan to meet the legal requirement.
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The practice had adopted a more proactive approach to assessing and managing risks. For example robust procedures had been put in place for managing significant events and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) alerts to ensure that all required actions had been completed, and that learning was shared with the practice team to prevent further incidents.
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Recruitment processes had been strengthened to ensure that appropriate pre-employment checks were obtained for all staff, along with evidence of their immunity status.
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The cleaning records had been updated to detail all tasks carried out and to show that regular spot checks were completed, to ensure that appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene were maintained.
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The practice had strengthened the governance arrangements for overseeing the quality of care and to mitigate risks. For example the clinical audit system had been developed to include more full cycle audits to drive improvements in patient care.
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The practice had established more formal meetings including regular clinical and business meetings, to aid communication, learning opportunities and improve the performance. All meetings were recorded to outline the issues discussed and responses and action points.
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A succession plan had been put in place which set out the arrangements to cover unforeseen illness or departure of key members staff, to ensure continuity of care and the future security of the practice.
In addition the provider should:
Further review documentation relating to induction and the appraisal process to ensure staff receive appropriate training and development to carry out their work.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice