Archived: Abbey Medical Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Abbey Medical Practice on 31 May 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 to report incidents and near misses. However we found that the incident process that the practice had in place had not been adhered to.

• Risks to patients were not fully assessed and well managed.

• The practice was clean and tidy and an infection control audit had been completed.

• Data showed patient outcomes were in line with or above national averages.

• Audits had been carried out that were driving improvements to patient outcomes.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.
• The practice had a number of policies and procedures to govern activity, which had been reviewed.
• Safety alerts were received and forwarded to staff in the practice to action as necessary.
• Portable appliance testing had been carried out and equipment had been calibrated and checked.
• Patients were able to get an appointment on the day and were happy with the appointment system and availability.

• Staff said they felt respected, valued and supported.

• All staff that were chaperoning had completed the chaperone training however some staff felt that refresher training would be appropriate.

• Emergency equipment and medicines were available however some of these were found to have expired.

• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems, processes and practices in place to keep patients safe and safeguarded from abuse. Policies were in place and training had been undertaken however flagging up of alerts for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children and carers was not always correct or in place.

• There was no robust system in place for the monitoring of high risk drugs, such as methotrexate and lithium. Records did not show an alert that these patients needed monitoring and we saw that patients had not been monitored as required.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

• Ensure processes for reporting, recording, acting on and monitoring significant events, incidents and near misses including non-clinical are robust and implemented for all staff to follow.
• Ensure emergency equipment and medicines are monitored and expiry dates are checked.
• Review the current system for the flagging up of alerts for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children and carers and ensure that outstanding safeguarding concerns have been followed up effectively.
• Implement a robust system for monitoring high risk drugs.

In addition the provider should:

• Have a robust system in place to ensure that patients are safeguarded from abuse and improper treatment, including documented discussions with the health visitors regarding children at risk.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice