Revel Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Revel Surgery on 16 August 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• The system used to report and record significant events was clearly understood by staff and met with current requirements. This ensured that incidents were thoroughly investigated and any patients affected received appropriate information and support.
• A number of risk assessments and processes ensured that patients were kept safe and safeguarded from abuse. Pre-employment checks had been made to help ensure staff were safe to work with the patients.
• The dispensary used clear procedures to ensure medicines were handled and dispensed safely.
• Clinicians assessed needs and delivered care in line with relevant and current evidence based guidance and standards, including National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) best practice guidelines.
• Staff liaised with other healthcare professionals in the management of patients to meet their needs and improve continuity of care.
• Data from the national GP patient survey showed the practice results were significantly higher than local and national averages, indicating a consistently high level of patient satisfaction with all areas of the service. The high return rate of very positive comment cards and the willingness of patients we approached to tell us about their experiences also indicated that they were satisfied with the standard of care the practice offered.
• The GPs were available on call to make home visits to palliative care patients outside of working hours and during the night.
• The practice developed a set of values to support its vision to provide a high quality, responsive, accessible and caring service. Staff worked in a way that supported these values and promoted better outcomes for patients.
• The practice was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour and systems were in place to ensure compliance with this. There was a culture of openness and accountability.
• The practice had a proactive approach to seeking feedback from staff and patients, and we saw evidence that concerns were acted on.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement through training and individual development.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice offered patients attending acute or chronic appointments a volunteer driver service which had been running for over 20 years. This was initially organised and funded by the local charity in support of the practice, Friends of The Revel Surgery, before separating into a volunteer group. The practice ensured that volunteers had signed a confidentiality agreement, received a DBS check and had the correct level of insurance for their vehicle.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice