Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ashfields Primary Care Centre on 26 April 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 been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services. This was done as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group, for example the introduction, training and ongoing review of an electronic appointment check in system and supporting patients through a variety of clinics.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 leadership team displayed innovation and continually strived to improve service to patients.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw three area of outstanding practice:

• The practice had found innovative ways to respond to patient needs, including introducing consultant led clinics normally held at hospitals, for example vasectomy and general surgery. Other clinics made available at the practice included, neurology, dermatology, ophthalmology, audiology, mental health and memory. National and self-initiated surveys showed extremely high levels of patient satisfaction due to these Initiatives.

• The practice had listened to patients via the patient participation group (PPG) and individual requests resulting in the introduction of a self-referral system for physiotherapy. Audit confirmed that this had led to a reduction in the prescribing of Analgesia, less GP time conducting referrals, speedier treatments and increased patient satisfaction.

• The practice surveyed the requirements for patients presenting at reception and found 28% of them had medication queries, so had increased pharmacist capacity to respond to this need.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• To ensure that all relevant staff are aware of safety alerts and any action needing to be taken as a result.

• Implement a more effective approach to recording and retaining recruitment information

• Review security arrangements in relation to public access to non-public areas

• Record verbal complaints

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice