Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Northwood Medical Centre on 25 October 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.
• There were effective systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients.

• 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 from all age groups consistently reported they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. The GPs and staff took additional measures to support patients during acute health problems and times of uncertainty. A caring and compassionate ethos was evident throughout the practice and patients and staff gave examples of caring acts carried out by the GPs and nurses.
• 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day. The National GP Patient Survey 2016 response reflected this. The practice operated effective appointment systems which allowed patients to be seen on the same day if necessary.
• 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 was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Take action to ensure there is a system in place for checking and recording fridge temperatures during times of staff absence.
• Display the procedure for managing emergencies in reception for frontline staff to refer to.
• Ensure photo identity is kept in all staff records.
• Display more information for carers in the waiting area.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about Northwood Medical Centre on 5 June 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.