Archived: Hartfields Medical Practice Also known as IntraHealth Limited

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Hartfields Medical Practice on 25 February 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, there was a corporate approach from the Intra Health senior governance board for the provider to centrally review all serious risks.
• 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.
• 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.
• The majority of the patients said they found it easy to make an appointment. The practice used a long term locum GP as they had been unable to employ a salaried GP for a short fixed term contract. On the days that no locum was in the practice, cover was provided by an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP). There had been some comments from patients about difficulties in the continuity of care with a named GP. We saw that urgent appointments were available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. The practice was situated in an older person’s retirement village.
• 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 long term locum GP was not actively involved in providing clinical leadership, which was provided by the clinical director corporately, the ANP and practice nurse.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour. This means providers must be open and transparent with service users about their care and treatment, including when it goes wrong.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Address the ongoing problems with phone lines which intermittently stop working.

• Carry out clinical audits and re-audits to improve patient outcomes.

• Ensure staff are aware of the Deprivation of Liberties safeguards (DOLs).

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice