Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Hibbs and Partners on 17 May 2015. 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.
• The practice actively invested in staff development and training. Staff had been supported to attend training both within and outside of the practice 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.
• The practice was aware of the needs of its local population and had implemented changes and engaged with the local community to support meeting these needs.
• 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 the 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

On the day of our inspection we spoke with six patients and seven members of staff. One patient said, "It is very good, I have been coming here for years." Some of the patients we spoke with said they were unable to obtain appointments at a time to suit their needs. However, all the patients we spoke with said they felt the quality of care they received was good.

We saw that patient's views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and that they were treated with dignity and respect. One patient told us, “I always get to see the GP I want to see." We saw that patients experienced care and treatment that met their needs. Patients told us and we saw that care was delivered in a clean environment.

Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding (protecting vulnerable adults and children) and were aware of whom to report concerns to.

There were established quality monitoring systems to assess and monitor the quality of service that patients received. There were methods to obtain patient feedback to improve the quality of service delivered.