Archived: Pennywell Medical Centre Also known as IntraHealth Limited

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Pennywell Medical Centre on 21 January 2016. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. Lessons were learned when incidents and near misses occurred.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed with the exception of infection control. The practice had not completed an infection control audit in the last two years.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• The majority of 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.
• Urgent appointments were usually available on the day they were requested. 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 proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The practice did not have any permanent GP staff. Over the last 10 months, locum and temporary GPs had covered clinical sessions. Although the practice was able to provide clinical care, patients expressed concerns about the lack of continuity of care, and access to a named GP. The practice was actively recruiting permanent GPs; however, they had not managed to recruit at the time of our inspection.
• The practice had a number of policies and procedures (provided by the provider) to govern activity, however, some were overdue for review.
• The provider was aware of and had complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour regulation.

There is one area where the provider must make improvements:

• Improve the approach to clinical audit to ensure standards are clearly defined, and there is a clear link between audits and improvement in the quality of the service.

There are three areas where the provider should make improvements:

The provider should:

• Put in place appropriate arrangements to monitor and review the effectiveness of the practice infection control arrangements.
• Review the management of complaints at the practice, verbal complaints should be recorded in line with their agreed complaints policy.
• Review the policies and procedures in place at the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice