Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
This practice is rated as Good overall.
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Good
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? - Good
As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:
Older People – Good
People with long-term conditions – Good
Families, children and young people – Good
Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good
People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good
People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Kinson Road Medical Centre on 31 January 2018, as part of our inspection programme.
At this inspection we found:
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The practice had formed a new legal entity in December 2017 with Dr Andrew Brewer as the provider; this had been following a merger and an increase in patient’s numbers to 11,000. As a result of the recent change there is no published performance data.
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The practice had managed the merger well and developed cohesive teams who worked across both sites. They had kept patients informed of the changes throughout the process.
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The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
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The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
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The practice used complaints they received to improve and responded openly and honestly to concerns raised and took appropriate action when needed.
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Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
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Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it. Walk in appointments were available on a daily basis, these were also open to patients not registered at the practice.
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The practice proactively identified patients who were carers. This was achieved by asking new patients when they registered and there was information on their website. The practice’s computer system alerted GPs if a patient was also a carer. The practice had identified 4% of the practice list as carers.
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Patients told us they were routinely given sufficient time with clinicians to meet their needs.
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There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
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There was a focus on staff wellbeing by the leadership team. Staff were able to work flexible hours to enable a work life balance, which allowed the practice to offer lunchtime appointments.
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Governance structures enabled staff to have clear roles and responsibilities and the leadership were approachable and visible in the practice.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice