Archived: Leach Heath Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Leach Heath Medical Centre on 5 February 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 generally well managed.
• 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.
• Patient outcome data reported lower than local and national average scores for many conditions. However, the practice had experienced a sudden increase in practice size due to the closure of another practice and redevelopment in the area which had impacted on this.
• Feedback from patients about their care and treatment was very positive. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• The practice was rated highly in relation to the quality of consultations and overall experience of the service in the latest National GP Patient Survey.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• The latest National GP Patient Survey rated access to appointments as comparable to others and in some cases above national and local averages. However, several patients raised with us difficulties getting through on the phone as their main frustration.
• 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 was working with the Alzheimer’s Society in a new project funded by the CCG to provide additional support to patients diagnosed with dementia. The practice coordinated dementia reviews to coincide with the drop in sessions run by the charity. This enabled the patient to be linked to a support worker. The benefits to patients and their carers were around education, emotional support, coping strategies and respite. With agreement from the patient, information could be shared with their GP so that the GP was aware and could respond to any additional needs the patient and their family might have.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure recruitment arrangements include all necessary employment checks for all staff.
• Review fire evacuation arrangements for patients accessing treatment rooms on the first floor who may need assistance.
• Review systems for monitoring staff training to reduce the potential for gaps.
• Review policies and procedures to ensure they are practice specific.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice