Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Lightwater Surgery on 9 February 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 it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.
• The practice participated in multidisciplinary telephone meetings with the integrated care team to improve communication between different services for patients.
• 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 areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice engaged with the community by helping to arrange local talks. There was a strong ethos within the practice for community development and engagement work. The practice had arranged local talks for their patients and those people living in the vicinity. For example, post-natal depression focus group, dementia workshop, a carers event, the role of the modern pharmacist and Sunday afternoon tea get together for its older patients. We received feedback from PPG members and the pharmacist explaining how these talks had been invaluable and how they believed there had been a positive impact on patients.

We also saw areas where the provider should make an improvement:

• Review the low number of patients currently registered as a carer at the practice

• Review the exceptional reporting rate as higher than the local and national average percentage

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice