Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Sutton Medical Practice on 12 October 2015. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.
We carried out this inspection to check that the practice was meeting regulations . Our previous comprehensive inspection carried out in January 2015 found breaches of regulations relating to the safe, effective and well led domains.
In addition all population groups were rated as inadequate due to the concerns found in safe, effective and well led. The overall rating from this inspection in January 2015 was inadequate and the practice was placed into special measures for six months. Following the inspection, we received an action plan which set out what actions were to be taken to achieve compliance.
The inspection carried out on 12 October 2015 found that the practice had made significant improvements and they were meeting all three regulations they were previously in breach of.
Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.
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. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
•Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
•Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
•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.
•Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
•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 areas where the provider should make improvement are:
Following the inspection in October 2015, the practice is rated as requires improvement for effective and caring. They are rated as good for providing safe, responsive and well led care services. All population groups have been rated as requires improvement due to ratings in effective and caring. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement. We have changed the ratings for this practice to reflect these changes and the improvements made and the practice will be removed from special measures.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice