Archived: Guttridge Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Guttridge Medical Centre (Dr Yerra’s Surgery) on 4 April 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events. Actions taken as a result of significant events were reviewed in a timely way.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to staff and patient safety. One of the neighbouring practices checked the shared emergency equipment to ensure that it was safe to use and fit for purpose although the practice had not had sight of these checks before our inspection.
• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment. However, records of staff training were incomplete and there was no documented training programme to govern training.
• All staff had had an appraisal within the last 12 months although the appraisal process for one staff member needed review to allow in-house appraisal.
• The practice premises were new and had been designed to present no risks to staff working or to patients. The practice told us that they planned to produce health and safety risk assessments in the Summer of 2017 for ongoing assessment.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns. The practice had stopped recording verbal complaints and told us that they would resume recording following our inspection.
• Patients we spoke with said they usually found it easy to make an appointment with the GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. The surgery building was newly converted and had been designed for purpose.
• 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.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Maintain an overview of checks carried out on emergency equipment in the building.
• Provide an overall programme to govern staff training activity, including timescales, and keep an accurate record of all staff training.
• Complete the health and safety risk assessments for premises safety and staff working as planned.
• Recommence recording patient verbal complaints in order to monitor trends.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice