Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Brighton Health and Wellbeing centre on 27 September 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.
• 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 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 provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

The practice developed a well-being programme in response to local demand in which complementary and alternative medicine practitioners and Healing Arts therapists worked beside GPs in the building to offer a wide range of therapeutic options complementary to and additional to standard medical practice. The practice had formed a charity which helped patients on low incomes and benefits to access these therapies. The development of the programme had led to the practice winning a national innovation award.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

To keep higher than average exception reporting rates for the quality and outcomes framework under review and ensure action is taken to reduce rates where clinically appropriate.

To continue to monitor closely and encourage the uptake of childhood vaccines and of cervical screening.

Ensure that references are checked for all locums.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice