Archived: Haydon Bridge and Allendale Medical Practice Also known as HAVMED

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Haydon Bridge and Allendale Medical Practice on 16 July 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There were systems in place to mitigate safety risks including analysing significant events and safeguarding. The premises were clean and tidy. Arrangements in the practice for managing medicines, including emergency drugs and vaccines, kept patient safe. There were appropriate recruitment checks in place.
• Patients had their needs assessed in line with current guidance and the practice had a holistic approach to patient care. The practice promoted health education to empower patients to live healthier lives.
• Feedback from patients and observations throughout our inspection showed the staff were kind, caring and helpful.
• The practice had systems in place to respond to and act on patient complaints and feedback. Services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different patient groups and to help provide flexibility, choice and continuity of care. Results from the National GP Patient Survey showed that patients’ satisfaction with how they could access care and treatment was comparable to local and national averages. In the survey 100% described their overall experience as good and 100% said they would recommend the surgery to family and friends.
• The practice had a clear vision to deliver high quality care and promote good outcomes for patients. The practice had fully involved stakeholders in the decision to merge the two practices in April 2014. The patient participation group (PPG) was supporting the practice to improve. The staff worked well together as a team.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review as planned the policy and procedures relating to the chaperone service, to ensure patients and staff are protected by having appropriately recruited and trained chaperones.
• Continue to monitor and improve their approach to infection control by regularly undertaking an audit of their infection control procedures.
• Ensure at the branch surgery that blank prescriptions are recorded in accordance with national guidance to reduce the risk of theft or misuse.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice