Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gnosall Surgery on 10 October 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.
• Most 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.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

The practice had a well-established and award winning memory service, which was led by a psychiatrist and supported by an eldercare facilitator. All patients with a memory concern, who wished to have further assessments, were referred to the clinic for assessments, diagnosis and support.

There were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

• Keep the protocol to follow-up on medical alerts such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) under review to ensure it is effective in identifying patients at risk. This includes documenting the action taken in response to the alerts.

• Implement a consistent system for checking and evidencing that monitoring for patients who take long term medicines on a shared care basis, has been provided before the prescriptions are re issued.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice