Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection May 2015 – Rated Good Overall)
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Good
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? - Good
As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:
Older People – Good
People with long-term conditions – Good
Families, children and young people – Good
Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good
People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good
People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr RW Harrison & Mrs CM Harrison-Bevan (also known as Howden Medical Centre) on 15 December 2017 as part of our inspection programme.
At this inspection we found:
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The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
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The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
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Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
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Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
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There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
Review the systems in place for reviewing changes introduced following significant events and complaints to assess whether the changes have been effective and embedded into practice.
Review the process for regular monitoring of prescriptions that have not been collected.
Implement a planned clinical audit/quality assurance programme to ensure audit cycles are completed and relevant staff are involved in the process.
Review the system that identifies patients who are also carers to help ensure that all patients on the practice list who are carers are offered relevant support if appropriate.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice