Archived: Dr H Okoi Practice Also known as The Derry Court Medical Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr H Okoi Practice on 26 July 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding safety, and reporting and recording of significant events. There were policies and procedures in place to support this.
• The practice assessed risks to patients and staff. There were systems in place to manage the majority of these risks.
• Where patients were prescribed medicines requiring monitoring, the practice had a system in place to reassure themselves that monitoring had been completed by secondary care providers prior to issuing a repeat prescription.
• The practice had a defibrillator and oxygen on the premises in cases of emergencies, however there was no risk assessment completed to determine whether the practice had the required emergency medicines available.
• The practice business continuity plan enabled staff to take action in the event of a loss of utilities or premises. The practice had not included contact details for staff members in the plan.
• We saw evidence of quality improvement activities such as clinical audit which identified where the practice might improve.
• Staff received appropriate training to provide them with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to fulfil their role. They had access to further role specific training if appropriate.
• Views of patients from comment cards and those we spoke with during the inspection were mostly positive. The majority of patients said they were treated with dignity and respect, and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• The national GP patient survey results, published in July 2016, were mostly in line with CCG averages for questions relating to GP care and treatment.
• The practice facilities met the needs of its patient population.
• Information about how to complain was available for patients both online and in the practice building itself. Complaints investigations and documentation showed that improvements were made to the quality of service provision as a result.
• Members of the patient participation group and the two patients we spoke with had mixed views on access to the service, however were mainly positive about the recent ‘triage’ system. The practice had implemented a ‘triage’ appointments system following a number of other initiatives to address the access issue.
• The latest national GP patient survey results with regards to access to appointments showed satisfaction levels were higher than CCG and national averages.
• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from the patient participation group and staff.
• The practice complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.
• There was a strong management structure and staff told us they felt supported and involved in the development of the practice.
• The culture of the practice was friendly, open and honest. It was evident that the practice complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

• Complete a risk assessment to determine whether they have the appropriate emergency medicines on the premises.

In addition the provider should:

• Ensure that the business continuity place includes contact details for all staff in the event of disruption to the services.
• Improve the identification of patients who are carers and provide them with appropriate support and guidance.
• Implement a system for the effective recording of action taken following receipt of patients safety and medicines alerts received at the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice