We carried out a review of the data available to us about Littledown Surgery on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Littledown Surgery, you can give feedback on this service.
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Littledown Surgery, Bournemouth on Wednesday 15 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
We saw an area of outstanding practice:
There was evidence of quality improvement which was used by the practice to improve services. For example, one of the GPs provided a project for patients over the age of 75 to improve care, reduce hospital admissions and improve recognition of cognitive impairment. The GP had performed two cycles of an audit which demonstrated avoidable hospital admissions dropped from 33% in 2014 to 22% in 2015. The audit also showed an increase in dementia diagnosis. For example, seven patients had been diagnosed in 2014 and this had increased to 16 patients in 2015. The audit also saw a 50% reduction in the duration of hospital stay.
Chief Inspector of General Practice
Littledown Surgery is a primary medical services GP surgery based in the Bournemouth suburb of Littledown. It carries out the following regulated activities; diagnostic and screening procedures, maternity and midwifery services, surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The service operates between 0830 hrs and 1830 hrs from Monday to Friday, with late opening on a Monday until 2030 hrs. The practice has four GP’s and two nurses. The service is commissioned by NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
CCGs are clinically led groups that commission (or buy) a range of healthcare services including hospital care, rehabilitation care, urgent and emergency care, community health services, mental health and learning disability services. CCGs include all the GP groups in their geographical area. All GP practices must belong to a CCG.
During our site visit we spoke with seven patients on a one to one basis. We also attended a Patient Participation Group (PPG) meeting and spoke with twelve more patients in a group discussion. We spoke with the practice manager and two other members of the administrative staff. We also spoke with three GP’s including the senior partner at the practice.
Each of the seven patients we spoke with on an individual basis were extremely satisfied with the care they received and with the staff at the practice. The overall sentiment from the 12 patients we spoke with at a PPG meeting was very positive about the service.
We found that the practice had strong leadership and robust internal management systems. Effective communication took place within the organisation, with regular staff meetings providing open forums to discuss learning points and updated information. Patients told us that they felt well informed about the services available at the practice.
The service had systems in place to learn from feedback. We saw evidence that incidents, accidents and complaints were handled effectively at the practice. We saw the practice had an effective clinical governance process in place. This process identified where care had not been fully effective, understanding why, learning lessons and making improvements to reduce the risk of future reoccurrence.
The practice undertook minor surgical procedures such as mole removals. This enabled patients prompt access to a service with a doctor they knew. All of the patients we spoke with told us that the practice was always clean, tidy and well organised. We saw that patients were cared for in a clean and hygienic environment. The practice had up to date policies relating to recruitment and retention of staff, which included recruitment of sessional doctors, confirmation of eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record checks and an induction process. However, we found that the practice had not carried out a criminal record check with the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) on one member of administrative staff.
We found the practice was effective in meeting the needs of the local population in the catchment area of Littledown. Regular and timely audits had been carried out to identify areas for improvement and ensure the quality and safety of care delivered.
Patients told us that they were involved in discussions about the health care they received and asked for their consent before it was provided. We observed there was a friendly and professional atmosphere at the practice, with patients being treated with respect by staff. However, we found that as the reception point was next to the waiting area, privacy was not always protected.
The practice was responsive to the needs of patients with an active PPG which was also attended by senior staff. We saw that there were opportunities for patients to provide feedback about the care they had received, from regular patient meetings in a group forum, on a one to one basis with staff or via regular surveys.
We found that the practice contained essential emergency first aid equipment such as an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Staff had been trained in its use and in delivering first aid. The practice had level access with consultation and treatment rooms situated on the ground floor. There was a toilet with appropriate facilities for patients with mobility difficulties; however there was no emergency alarm cord in place.
Appropriate information was provided for staff via an internal computer based intranet system. This contained up to date policies, procedures and useful information. All staff we spoke with described the service as well-led and said they felt well supported. Information was shared with staff via email, telephone and at regular meetings.
We found evidence that the quality and safety of care and treatment was monitored effectively using a wide range of clinical and non-clinical audits using set criteria. This provided the practice with the required information to ensure a high quality of care and to make improvements where required.