We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Swan Medical Centre on 14 November 2016. The overall rating for the practice was good, with good ratings in safe, effective, caring and well-led services and requires improvement rating in responsive services. The full comprehensive report on the November 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Swan Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 12 February 2018 to confirm that the practice had carried out improvements in relation to the areas of improvements we identified in our previous inspection on 14 November 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.
Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings were as follows:
- The practice had made significant improvements to ensure all staff were kept informed of significant events and any related learning.
- The practice had implemented an audit process for its stock of vaccines. Vaccine stock was stored and managed appropriately.
- Patient feedback remained mixed regarding telephone access. However, the practice had made significant improvements to its process of monitoring the effectiveness of actions taken regarding telephone access.
However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
The provider should:
- Continue to explore options to improve telephone access further and continue to monitor the effectiveness of actions taken regarding patient telephone access.
- Consider monitoring trends in incidents and complaints to further identify areas of improvement or areas where they are doing well.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice