Archived: Dr S A Chacko & Dr R E Hubber --- Peel GPs

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of Dr Chacko and Dr Hubber on the 5 May 2015. We found that the practice was performing at a level which led to a rating judgement of good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led 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. 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 the best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles, and any further training needs were identified and planned.
• Baby clinics were timed to run alongside health visitor clinics within the building. This provided maximum convenience for families and maximised on immunisation rates.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect, and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment, that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice was part of the Easy GP Scheme run by Bury GP Federation. This gave patients access to routine pre bookable and same-day GP appointments at four sites across the Bury area from 8 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday and 8 am – 6 pm at the weekend.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Staff worked with local services Bury Drug and Alcohol Team to support patients with addiction. A drug counsellor attended the practice to see patients once a week, and a GP from a neighbouring practice provided specialist support for these patients.
• There was a clear leadership structure that focussed on the care and treatments provided to patients. The leadership was proactive in using methods to improve patient care and improve service provision. Staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought and acted on feedback from staff and patients.
• The practice works closely with and supports the provider of the “zero tolerance” scheme and would take registration from patients removed from previous practices for violent or aggressive behaviours. This supported these patients to access the service when in need of medical care.

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

Also, the provider should:

• Provide information in the patient waiting area in different languages to support patients whose first language is not English
• Ensure medicines are stored securely.
• Ensure GPs receive training on the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice