Archived: Dr AS Coutts and Partners Also known as Four Oaks Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr AS Coutts and Partners

Also known as Four Oaks Medical Centre on 20 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.

• The practice was proactive in the management of long term conditions.

• Information about services and how to complain was available. The practice actively sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service and worked with the Patient Participation Group (PPG) to do this.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• The practice proactively sought to educate their patients to manage their medical conditions and improve their lifestyles. Additional in house services were available and delivered by staff with advanced qualifications, skills and experience.
• The practice used audits and had shared information from one of their audits with other practices to promote better patient outcomes.
• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. A business plan was in place, monitored and regularly reviewed and discussed with all staff. High standards were promoted and owned by all practice staff with evidence of team working across all roles.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice