Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Brig Royd Surgery on 27 October 2015.

While overall the practice is rated as good for providing safe, effective, caring, and well led care for all the population groups it serves, we found the practice was outstanding in its responsiveness to the needs of it practice patient population.  In particular we found that it care and responsiveness to the needs of patients who had mental health problems was also outstanding.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a preferred GP, there was continuity of care and urgent appointments were available the same day.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Complaints were addressed in a timely manner and the practice endeavoured to resolve complaints to a satisfactory conclusion.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.

• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

• The practice had a number of policies and procedures in place and held regular governance meetings.

We saw some areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice had developed an educational website which acted as a resource for their own practice as well as other practices in the area, nationally and internationally.

• The practice recognised that patients experiencing poor mental health may find it difficult to remember appointment times and dates, and therefore allowed this group of patients to attend as walk-in patients, regardless of the urgency of need. 

• Patient survey results about the quality and access to the service were very positive and significantly better than other practices. 

• The practice had an active patient reference group(PRG) and one of their initiatives had been about helping and underlining the importance of screening for patients.  The PRG provided written information to help patients understand the significance of screening tests such as bowel cancer screening. Other initiatives are planned, for example, the development of a ‘You Tube’ video explaining the significance and use of spirometry equipment. Spirometry is a test used to diagnose and monitor certain lung conditions.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice