Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Carlisle House on 14 June 2016 and 17 June 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 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 provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

The practice prioritised safety in the practice. There was a lead GP for safety who promoted a culture of openness with regard to reporting safety incidents. As well as discussing significant events with staff, they were discussed with people outside the practice so that ideas for improvement could be shared.

The practice actively sought feedback from carers about the practice by encouraging them to join the patient participation group (PPG). Approximately 10% of the PPG were carers.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Consider the process for the review of pathology results so they are actioned in a timely way.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice