The Care Quality Commission
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  • GP practice

Archived: The Bondgate Practice Also known as Longhoughton Surgery

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Longhougton Surgery, 4-6 Portal Place, Longhoughton, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 3JN (01665) 577380

Provided and run by:
Alnwick Medical Group

All Inspections

10 August 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this practice on 6 October 2014. We found the practice was in breach of a legal requirement. After the comprehensive inspection the practice wrote to us to say what they would do to meet the following legal requirement set out in the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA) 2008:

Regulation 13 HSCA 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 Management of medicines (Which corresponds to Regulation 12 (f) and (g) of the HSCA 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014).

We undertook this focused inspection on 10 August to check the practice had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements

This report only covers our findings in relation to this requirement. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the

‘all reports’ link for The Bondgate Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Following this focused inspection we rated the practice as good at providing safe services.

Our key finding was as follows:

  • The practice had addressed the issue identified during the previous inspection and was now ensuring there were safe processes in place for the prescribing and dispensing of medicines within the branch surgeries.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

6 October 2014

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out a planned comprehensive inspection of The Bondgate Practices on 6 October 2014. We inspected all four locations registered with the Care Quality Commission. These were the Alnwick main surgery and the Seahouses, Embleton and Longhoughton branches.

We rated the practice overall as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • The practice covered a large geographical and rural area; services had been designed to meet the needs of the local population.
  • Feedback from patients was positive; they told us staff treated them with respect and kindness.
  • Staff reported feeling supported and able to voice any concerns or make suggestions for improvement.
  • The practices were clean and further work was planned to improve the approach to infection control.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements. 

Importantly, the provider must:

  • Ensure that prescriptions are checked and signed by GPs before medicines are dispensed and issued to patients.

In addition the provider should:

  • Ensure that blank prescriptions are stored and 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