Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Millbank Medical Centre on 26 May 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 who used services were assessed and well managed in most respects. There were some deficiencies in the documentation relating to the practice’s recruitment processes and, whilst there was an evacuation plan in place, no fire drills had been undertaken in the last six months.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• 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 complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Consider the introduction of a practice specific policy on safeguarding of vulnerable adults and arrange training in this area for any staff who have not received such training.
• Ensure all appropriate pre-employment identity and reference checks are documented in staff records.
• Ensure the completion of any outstanding staff appraisals.
• Review the system for the identification of carers to ensure all carers have been identified and provided with support.
• Continue to review measures to improve patient access to appointments.
• Advertise in the reception area that translation services are available.
• Arrange for weekly clinical meetings to be minuted to provide an audit trail of discussion and agreed decisions and actions. Consider making minutes of fortnightly practice team meetings more informative to identify more clearly agreed decisions and action.
• Consider displaying the practice’s mission statement to patients in waiting areas and on the practice’s website.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice