Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Maurice O’Connell & Partners (The Beacon Surgery) on 1 March 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.
- Feedback from patients about their care was consistently and strongly positive.
- The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
- Urgent appointments were available on the day they were requested.
- Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had 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.
- Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
- 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:
- Elderly patients who were resident in care homes were visited each week by a GP allocated by the practice to that care home to ensure continuity of care. This was introduced in 2014 and has led to a 25% reduction in unplanned hospital admissions for these patients.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
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To review policies in regard of staff whose role means they have unsupervised contact with patients and either risk assess the role or carry out relevant checks to ensure patient safety.
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To review what actions the practice could undertake to ensure that the maximum numbers of carers are identified within their patient list.
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To review their policies regarding completing legionella risk assessments so as to ensure patient and staff safety .
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice