Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Carcroft Doctors Group on 8 March 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 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.
• Patients said they found the telephone access to the practice difficult first thing in the morning as the lines were often engaged.  Once calls were answered 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 two areas of outstanding practice:

• We received several comments from patients experiencing poor mental health who complimented the service and support offered to them at the practice. They described how, in times of crisis, the staff were supportive and responsive to their needs. For example, by offering appointments with a GP before the practice opened when there were less people around.

• The lead GP at the practice held a community gynaecology clinic serving the female population of north west Doncaster locality. This negated the need for patients registered at the practice and other practices in Doncaster to travel to the hospital for some gynaecological procedures. A practice nurse was a trained colposcopy nurse. Patient’s feedback on the CQC comment cards said this was ‘a fabulous service close to home’.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Patients expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. We saw that patients were given information and support with regards to treatment options and that staff maintained patient’s privacy and confidentiality.

Five patients who spoke with us said they were treated with respect and the care they received was “Excellent”, “First class” and “Absolutely brilliant.” Patients told us they were very happy with their experience of the practice and said “This is a fantastic service, the GP’s listen to you and answer all your questions” and “The GP’s are the best. You are never rushed through your appointment and the practice nurses are very thorough and explain everything to you.”

We found the environment to be clean, tidy and organised. We saw there were appropriate systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. The five patients who spoke with us told us they felt the hygiene and cleanliness of the practice was of a high standard. Staff had received appropriate professional development and training to ensure they could meet the needs of the patients who used the service. Staff could tell us who they would contact if they were concerned about child protection issues or abuse of patients. The practice had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service that patients received.