Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at this practice on 30 April 2015.

A breach of legal requirements was found. The practice was required to make improvements in the domain of ‘Safe’.

After the comprehensive inspection the practice wrote to us to say what they would do to meet the following legal requirements set out in the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA) 2008:

Regulation 13 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Safeguarding service users from abuse.

We undertook this focused follow-up review to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Langbank Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Our key findings were as follows:

• The practice had addressed the issues identified during the previous inspection.

• Improved systems were in place to ensure that any requests for child safeguarding reports were being met. Weekly and quarterly checks were also in place to ensure that the practice safeguarding register was up to date. All children subject to a safeguarding plan, or who were classified as a looked after child or a child in need, were correctly highlighted on the practice computer system.

  The practice had also responded positively to suggested improvements in relation to the recording, reporting and investigation of significant events. We saw that all significant events were discussed and analysed at meetings held for all people involved in the event. Review dates were set to allow those involved time to reflect on how an event came about and on how they may do things differently in the future.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Langbank Medical Centre on 30 April 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services to older patients, patients with long term conditions, working age patients and those patients whose circumstances made them vulnerable. The practice required improvement for providing safe services. This had some impact on services provided to families, children and younger people, and those patients experiencing poor mental health.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• The practice used data and audits to check and gauge the effectiveness of treatments provided to patients.
• The practice was responsive to patients’ needs; we found the practice listened to patient feedback and acted quickly to ensure their needs were met.
• The practice leaders promoted openness and transparency amongst staff and supported all staff appropriately
• Patients we spoke with told us they received a very caring service from the clinicians and staff at the practice. CQC comment cards completed by patients mirrored this.
• Administration processes in relation to safeguarding matters were incomplete. Patients who were subject to a safeguarding plan were not correctly identified and requests for reports from local authority safeguarding boards were not always met.
• The review of significant events was insufficient to provide learning for clinicians and staff involved.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly, the provider must:

• Improve processes in place for safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults. Sufficient checks must be in place for the receiving and correct recording of safeguarding information and for the sending of information to local authority safeguarding boards.

Action the provider should take to improve:

• Ensure review of significant events includes asking of key questions and has sufficient input from staff to identify areas for improvement and to promote learning.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice