Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Badcock & Partners on 17 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• 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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• 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 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 were able to make an appointment 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 sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

There were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should;

• Ensure infection control leads are trained to the appropriate level. Ensure improvements are made to the management, monitoring and auditing of the prevention and control of infection.

• Ensure improvements are made to the monitoring and auditing of fridge temperatures.

• There was scope to improve and extend learning from significant events. The practice should also consider whether some complaints merit investigation as a significant event in order to maximise learning.

Ensure that  all waiting areas of the practice can be clearly seen by reception staff to ensure the safety and security of vulnerable patients.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice