Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
Specifically, we found the practice to be good for responsive, effective, caring and well led services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long term conditions, families, children and young people, the working age population and those recently retired, people in vulnerable circumstances and people experiencing poor mental health. It required improvement for providing safe services.
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, although information about safety was reported monitored and reviewed, records to demonstrate how issues were addressed were not consistently recorded.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, with the exception of those relating to undertaking a legionella assessment of the premises.
- 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 that they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and urgent appointments were 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.
We saw two areas of outstanding practice:
- The practice actively engaged with two traveller communities who lived on designated traveller sites and promoted health screening by visiting them in the community. The practice offered them the opportunity to register as permanent or temporary patients.
- The practice worked closely with the local community and council to review the living arrangements of patients whose lack of a residence was having an increasing adverse effect on their health.
However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
Action the provider must take to improve:
- Ensure that a legionella risk assessment of the premises is carried out and systems put in place to prevent, control, monitor and manage any risks identified.
Action the provider SHOULD take to improve:
- Ensure consistency in recording the analysis and outcome of investigations of safety incidents, significant events and complaints.
- Document health and safety assessments to demonstrate whether any specific risks related to the practice have been identified, appropriate action taken and risk assessments put in place to mitigate the risk.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice