Archived: Combs Ford Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Combs Ford Surgery on 9 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice encouraged teenagers to notify them of their mobile telephone numbers to ensure the practice could contact them directly rather than contact their parents’ details should they wish to keep aspects of their medical records confidential.
• The practice provided support to needle phobic young people to undergo school vaccinations at the practice if they found vaccinations stressful.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure there is a regular programme of two cycle audits undertaken by clinicians.
• Ensure fridges containing vaccines are not over stocked and temperature throughout the fridge can be accurately monitored.
• Ensure the process for security of dispensary keys is reviewed and monitored.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice