On the day of our inspection we spoke with six patients, one doctor and five members of staff. Two of the patients were members of the patient participation group (PPG).

All patients we spoke with were dissatisfied with the appointment system and said you could only get an appointment for the same day in an emergency. Two patients said: “I had difficulty getting an appointment before Christmas.” Patients were satisfied with all other aspects of the practice. Three patients told us: “They are very good.”

We saw that patients’ views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and that they were treated with dignity and respect. When patients received care or treatment they were asked for their consent and their wishes were listened to.

The practice is located in a modern building with two floors. It is fully accessible for patients with disabilities and has a lift. There were disabled parking bays close to the entrance in the car park. The surgery is also fitted with a hearing aid loop.

We found the practice to be clean and well organised. Processes were in place to minimise the risk of infection. There were also processes in place for monitoring the quality of service provision. There was an established system for regularly obtaining opinions from patients about the standard of the service they received.

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Holbrooks Health Team on 5 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led services.

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. Events were fully investigated by the practice and learning points identified and implemented.

• The practice was a founder member of a local GP federation. This enabled learning and best practice to be shared more widely within GP practices within the local area.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned. Training needs were also identified and actioned as a result of patient feedback.

• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. All complaints were fully investigated by the practice and learning points identified. These were also shared when appropriate within the local GP federation of which the practice was part, to enable learning to be more widely applied.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. A range of health care related commercial services was also available on site, for example a pharmacy and hearing centre.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.

• 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 areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure appropriate steps are taken to improve access to the service by telephone and for patients making appointments.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice