Sellindge Surgery

Background to this inspection

Updated 11 October 2017

Sellindge Surgery delivers services from purpose built premises in the village of Sellindge, Kent. Patients are able to use the public car park next to the practice and patient areas are accessible to patients with mobility issues, as well as parents with children and babies. There are approximately 4,700 patients on the practice list. The demographics of the patient population is similar to local and national averages. However, the practice has slightly more older patients.

The practice holds a General Medical Service contract and consists of two GP partners (one male and one female) as well as three salaried GPs (one male and two female).

Together the GPs provide 29 sessions. There is one practice nurse (female) and one healthcare assistant (female).

Sellindge Surgery is a training practice meaning, alongside their clinical roles, the GPs are able to provide training and mentorship for trainee GPs. One of the GP partners has undergone further training to become a GP with a special interest in ear, nose and throat conditions.

Sellindge Surgery is able to provide dispensary services to those patients on the practice list who live more than one mile (1.6km) from their nearest pharmacy premises. There are currently approximately 4,600 patients registered to use this service. This service is delivered by a dispensary manager and four dispensers. The GPs, nurses and dispensers are supported by a practice manager and a team of administration and reception staff. There is a range of clinics for all age groups as well as the availability of specialist nursing treatment and support.

The practice is open from 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Morning appointments are from 8.30am to 10.40am and afternoon appointments times vary. There are daily emergency clinics from 8.30am to 10.15am. An out of hour’s service is provided by Primecare outside of the practice’s opening hours. There is information available to patients on how to access this at the practice, in the practice information leaflet and on the website.

Services are delivered from;

The Surgery,

Main Road,

Sellindge,

Ashford,

Kent,

TN25 6JX.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 11 October 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Sellindge Surgery on 20 December 2016. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the December 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sellindge Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 22 August 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 20 December 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is now rated as Good.

Our key findings were as follows:

The practice had risk assessments and management activities that included all risks to patients, staff and visitors, for example, fire safety evacuations.
The practice had ensured that medicines management procedures for vaccines complied with Public Health England (PHE) guidance. There was an effective process for managing safety alerts including those from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
All prescriptions, including those for schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs were signed prior to medicines being dispensed and transferred to patients.
There were appropriate recruitment checks for all members of staff, including locum GPs.
There was a comprehensive staff induction program that included nursing staff.
Training had been reviewed to help ensure that all staff received appropriate support.
We saw that internal audits such as infection prevention and control, health and safety and legionella were implemented effectively.

The practice had also taken appropriate action to address areas where they should make improvements:

Emergency medicines had been reviewed to help ensure appropriate medicines were available.
The practice monitored patients receiving anticoagulation therapy from another service provider.
The practice had reviewed its management of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) data to help ensure information was effectively recorded.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)

Chief Inspector of General Practice