Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Saira Zaman on 26 January 2016. 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 report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.
• The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice. For example they work as part of a hub that offers improved access for patients and training for nursing staff.
• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently and strongly positive. Patients said they were always treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were always involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet patients’ needs. For example the community link worker took referrals from the practice to help patients with their extra needs, not necessarily medical.
• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group (PPG). For example the PPG supported the reduction of patients who do not attend that included the use of text message reminders.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. The strategy to deliver this vision had been produced with stakeholders and was regularly reviewed and discussed with staff.
• 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.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

Working in co-operation with another organisation to identify patients that were vulnerable to reduce the risk of fire in their homes. The aim of this scheme was to identify patients at risk of a home fire and to mitigate those risks as far as was practicable. The practice then identified patients on the practice list who were vulnerable or at risk and referred them, in co-operation with the patient, to the fire service. Then a home fire risk assessment that was provided free of charge and the fitting of a smoke alarm if required.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice