22 September 2015
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Bowery Medical Centre on 22 September 2015.
Overall the practice is rated good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
- The practice was clean and had good facilities including disabled access and facilities.
- There were systems in place to mitigate safety risks including analysing significant events and safeguarding. The practice was clean and tidy. The practice used a pharmacy advisor to ensure the practice was prescribing in line with current guidelines.
- Information about services and how to complain was available. The practice sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service, including having a patient participation group (PPG) and acted on feedback.
- Staff worked well together as a team and all felt supported to carry out their roles.
There were areas of outstanding practice including:
- There was a named member of staff who was the Cancer Care Champion who telephoned all newly diagnosed cancer patients to ensure they were receiving the support required.
- The practice provided a self- funded monitoring system for patients with heart problems which had reduced referrals to other services.
- The practice had initiated an acute visiting service system that was subsequently adopted by the CCG.
However the provider should consider improving the service by:-
- Making patients aware of the names of GPs available each day by displaying notices in the waiting room/reception area and have information available on the website.
- Ensuring that patients can hear which rooms they are being called to and also signpost the rooms to avoid patient confusion.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice