This practice is rated as Good overall. We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Lakshmanan Sumathy Nambisan’s surgery in October 2014 and rated the practice as Good overall. The practice had displayed their ratings in a prominent place within the surgery.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Lakshmanan Sumathy Nambisan’s surgery on 16 April 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
• There were clearly defined and embedded systems, processes and practices in place to keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. Patient feedback from the inspection was overwhelmingly positive.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients responded positively to questions about their involvement in planning and making decisions about their care and treatment.
• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it. Results from the GP patient survey showed that the practice scored significantly above local and national averages for patient satisfaction with getting through to the practice over the phone and making an appointment.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Dr Lakshmanan Sumathy Nambisan’s practice on 2 October 2014. The practice is a single handed GP practice which provides primary medical services for a population of approximately 2,600 patients in Pelsall, Walsall. Our overall rating for the practice was good.

Our key findings were as follows:

• The practice was accessible to patients. Patients were able to make appointments easily and if their needs were urgent they would be seen the same day. The premises was accessible to patients with mobility difficulties. Facilities such as the hearing loop system, online appointments and extended opening hours helped ensure patients could get the care and treatment they needed.
• The practice had systems in place to ensure patients who used the service remained safe. Incidents were recorded and discussed with staff to ensure learning took place. Staff were aware of safeguarding procedures, in relation to children and vulnerable adults, so that they could take appropriate action if they were concerned someone may be at risk of harm. Medicines and vaccines held on the premises were appropriately managed to ensure they were safe to use.
• The premises were clean and tidy and records were kept to ensure standards were maintained. Some areas had recently been refurbished and provided an environment which could be easily cleaned helping to minimise the risk of cross infection.
• Patients consistently told us that they were cared for by kind and caring staff who went out of their way to help them.
• Patients were communicated with in a way they could understand so that they could make choices about their own healthcare.

However, there were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements.

• The practice should maintain robust and accurate records of imunisation status for staff, so that it is clear when boosters are required.
• Emergency equipment should be stored securely where it can be accessed without the risk of delay in administering life saving treatment.
• The practice should improve systems for communicating requests between team members so that there is a clear audit to show that actions required have been completed.
• The practice should continue to develop its patient participation group by focussing on the membership and clarify the remit of the group to ensure the patient voice is heard in decisions about the service.

The practice should improve recording and minuting of meetings where action has been taken to address risks and issues relating to the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)

Chief Inspector of General Practice