Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We inspected the practice on 21 and 22 October 2014. We inspected this service as part of our new comprehensive inspection programme. Overall, we rated the practice as good. Our key findings were as follows:

• Patients received safe care which met their needs;
• Patients reported good access to the practice, including the provision of same day appointments for those with urgent needs;
• Patients reported they were treated with kindness and respect, and received care and treatment which met their needs;
• Patient outcomes were either average, or better than average, when compared to other practices in the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area;
• The practice was clean and hygienic, and good infection control arrangements were in place;
• The practice was well-led and had good governance arrangements. The practice had an active Patient Participation Group (PPG) that had taken action to improve its own knowledge and the services provided to patients at the practice.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider could make improvements:

• The practice should review its systems and processes for the safe handling of prescriptions to make sure it complies with guidance issued by NHS Protect in August 2013 regarding the security of prescription forms.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice