Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Grey Gable Surgery on 19 May 2016. The overall rating for this service is 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. Learning from incidents was shared with staff and regularly reviewed.
• Information about safety alerts was reviewed and communicated to staff by the practice manager in a timely way.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed through practice meetings and collaborative discussions with the multi-disciplinary team. Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• Patients told us 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 told us that they knew how to complain if they needed to.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. This included easy access for patients who used wheelchairs and baby changing facilities.
• Practice staff had made improvements to the way it delivered services following feedback from patients and the Patient Participation Group (PPG). The PPG were proactive in representing patients and assisting the practice in making improvements.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us they felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from patients, which it acted on. Staff appeared motivated to deliver high standards of care and there was evidence of team working throughout the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice