Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Norwood Surgery, Southport on 10 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as Good.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.

• The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other providers to share best practice. The work of the practice with patients with type two diabetes had achieved positive results.
• The monitoring of diabetes patients who no longer relied on medicines to control diabetes, had led to other findings which contributed to advances in care for patients with other long term conditions, such as heart disease and poor liver function.

• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.

• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group. For example GPs and nurses started all morning surgeries at 8am to allow working patients, students and school children better access to appointments. This complemented two, late evening surgeries each week.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• The practice actively reviewed complaints and responded to them compassionately and constructively. For example, considerable modifications were made to the building to allow easier access for disabled patients, following feedback from those patients and their carers and family members.
• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. This was regularly reviewed and discussed with stakeholders and staff.
• The practice had strong and visible clinical and managerial leadership and governance arrangements.

There were areas where the practice could make improvements. The practice should

• Prioritise the replacement of fabric covered chairs in consulting rooms.

• Lock away any prescription pads left in printers overnight.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice