Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Purnell and partners on 11 February 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 effective systems in place to report and record significant events which enabled learning to be shared.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed through ongoing monitoring. There was a robust programme of infection control audit in place which was facilitated by the infection control lead nurse.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment. Where a need was identified, further training was provided.
• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently and strongly positive. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Patients praised the kind, caring and compassionate nature of staff and said they were always treated as individuals.
• Staff said they saw their roles as more than a job and explained that two members of staff had given up their time off to take a patient on a day trip to the coast last year following the death of their spouse.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day. We observed staff working to ensure the needs of patients were met on the day in spite of no available appointments on the system.
• 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.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice sought to treat patients holistically and offered additional services internally where possible including access to a practice chaplain and support from the Citizens Advice Bureau. There was an emphasis on treating the health needs of patients whilst also giving consideration to social needs, by assisting patients with completing forms for example. Staff consistently went over and above to meet the needs of their patients; including going out of their way to make the lives of patients easier. For example, staff routinely escorted patients who required assistance to the nearest bus stop.
• Staff advocated for the needs of their patients within the practice and externally. For example, a member of staff contacted the local hospital to ensure support was in place for a patient who required a wheelchair.
• Data from the GP patient survey and feedback received as part of the inspection demonstrated that patients felt they received a level of care which exceeded their expectations. For example, a number of comments cards described staff within the practice as exceptional.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice