Moordown Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Moordown Medical Centre on 23 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 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.

• Data showed the practice was performing highly when compared to neighbouring practices in the Clinical Commissioning Group. For example, the

• 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 several areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice was involved in a collaborative project with two other local practices. The project was funded by an over 75’s project scheme by Dorset clinical commissioning group, known as the Anticipatory Care Team. The project was aimed at reducing emergency hospital admissions by offering routine and urgent care to frail older patients who could not easily access practice facilities. The team consisted of a nurse practitioner and nurse, with an administrator. The nurse practitioner undertook acute visits, allowing prompt assessment and treatment (usually earlier in the day than a GP could visit). We saw data that showed a 3.4% decrease in patients admitted to hospital in the period from January to December 2015 compared to the same period the year before. This related in real terms to 23 less patients being admitted to hospital.

• The practice had a quality improvement plan in place. Each GP chose a clinical area, for example, diabetes. They then undertook some research into the latest good practice including current NICE guidelines, if required they undertook some further training, they then discussed their findings with the other clinicians within the practice and agreed actions to improve patient care. For example, a new updated protocol was introduced for patients taking oral medicines for diabetes control to ensure more specific and targeted prescribing. This protocol was also embedded into the clinical system.

• The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they met patients needs. For example, the practice communicated and liaised with peri-natal mental health services, such as the Sunshine Team. These patients were discussed at multi-disciplinary team meetings to ensure their pre-birth care and treatment took account of their mental health needs.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice