Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Drs. Liversedge, McCurdie and Wong on 7 April 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 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. Staff had been trained 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.
• 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 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

Blank prescription forms and pads were securely stored. However there was not a system in place to log the use of prescriptions. The provider should take action to maximise the security of blank prescriptions.

There was no documented evidence to reflect that checks were made to ensure the registration status of the qualified nurses was monitored to determine their annual re-registration had been completed. The provider should take action to maximise the safety of their employment processes by introducing such checks.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice