Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Askern Medical Practice on 11 January 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 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.
• 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 difficult to get through to the practice by telephone first thing in the morning to make an appointment. Urgent appointments are available the same day but often filled quickly.
• 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.
• Although audits had been carried out, we were told there was not a continuous quality improvement programme for future audit and patient review activity.

We saw three areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice had engaged with the local traveller community and to improve access to healthcare services for them.  The lead GP won the Inclusivity Leader of the Year award 2014 from NHS Health Education England Regional Leadership Recognition Award (Yorkshire and the Humber) for this work.

• The practice offered local high school students the opportunity to come into the practice and learn more about careers in primary care. The lead GP had won the Mentor/Coach of the Year 2015 from NHS Health Education England Regional Leadership Recognition Award (Yorkshire and t

  he Humber) for their work mentoring and coaching students applying to become healthcare professionals.

• The practice held quarterly education sessions for patients and members of the PPG. Topics in the last year included social prescribing and befriending, common hand and eye consultant services for patients, bone and joint problems and the risks associated with addictive controlled drugs. Further events were planned for this year.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Make arrangements for all staff to complete level one safeguarding childrens training as recommended in the Intercollegiate Guideline (ICG) “Safeguarding Children and Young People: roles and competences for health care staff” (2014).
• Implement a procedure to monitor prescription pad use complying with NHS Protect Security of Prescription guidance.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice