Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at 9:00 am on 7 April 2015. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.
Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing caring and responsive services and requires improvement for providing safe and effective services and for being well led. We rated the practice as requires improvement for the care provided to older people and people with long term conditions and requires improvement for the care provided to, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people living in vulnerable circumstances and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).
Our key findings were as follows:
- Data showed patient outcomes were at or above average for the locality.
- Staff understood their responsibilities to raise safety concerns, and to report incidents.
- Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.
- Patients said they found it reasonably easy to make an appointment.
- The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
- Information about how to complain was available and evidence showed that the practice responded quickly to issues raised.
- The practice sought feedback from patients and had acted on it.
However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
Importantly, the provider must:
- Ensure all staff have up to date training in child protection and safeguarding vulnerable adults.
- Ensure leads are appointed for child protection and safeguarding vulnerable adults and staff are aware of who to report to with specific concerns.
- Ensure clinical staff are up to date with the key principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how they are implemented in the practice.
- Carry out criminal record checks or a risk assessment on non-clinical staff who act as chaperones.
- Ensure all staff receive infection prevention and control training on induction and at regular intervals thereafter.
- Ensure a lead is appointed for infection prevention and control, and staff are aware of who to report to with specific concerns.
In addition the provider should:
- Ensure the business continuity plan is reviewed annually.
- Formalise induction training for new members of staff.
- Share the practice’s vision with all staff and develop a strategy to deliver it.
- Ensure all practice policies and procedures are updated annually.
- Ensure the patient leaflet is updated.
- Develop a clear leadership structure with named members of staff in lead roles.
- Provide training for all staff in equality and diversity to raise awareness of equality and diversity issues within the practice.
- Ensure written, annual appraisals are undertaken for all staff to assess performance and identify training and development needs.
- Introduce regular staff meetings and ensure all meetings are minuted with actions.
- Introduce a system to disseminate new clinical guidelines and medicine updates within the practice.
- Ensure all staff receive basic life support training on an annual basis in line with UK Resuscitation Council guidelines.
- Provide staff with training in fire safety.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice