Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

Brannel Surgery was inspected on Wednesday 4 February 2015. This was a comprehensive inspection.

We found the practice to be good for providing well-led, safe, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for the six population groups.

Our key findings were as follows:

There were systems in place to address incidents, deal with complaints and protect adults, children and other vulnerable people who use the service. Significant events were recorded and shared with multi professional agencies. There was a proven track record and a culture of promptly responding to incidents and near misses and using these events to learn and change systems changed so that patient care could be improved.

There were systems in place to support the GPs and other clinical staff to improve clinical outcomes for patients. According to data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (the annual reward and incentive programme detailing GP practice achievement results) outcomes for patients registered with this practice were equal to or above average for the locality. Patient care and treatment was considered in line with best practice national guidelines and staff are proactive in promoting good health. There were sufficiently skilled and trained staff working at the practice.

The practice was pro-active in obtaining as much information as possible about their patients which does or could affect their health and wellbeing. Staff knew the practice patients well, are able to identify people in crisis and are professional and respectful when providing care and treatment.

The practice planned its services to meet the diversity of its patients. There were good facilities available, adjustments were made to meet the needs of the patients and there was an effective appointment system in place which enabled a good access to the service.

The practice had a vision and informal set of values which were understood by staff. There were clear clinical governance systems and a clear leadership structure in place.

We found an outstanding area of practice:

• The practice had developed a relationship with the Police Community Support Officer who referred patients that he has had concerns about in the community. This had been very useful in averting crisis situations before they had escalated.

There were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements.

The provider should:

• All clinical staff should receive training in the Mental Capacity Act (2005). The MCA is a legal framework which supports patients who needs assistance to make important decisions.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice