Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Oakfield Surgery on 2 June 2016. The overall rating for the practice was good, with requires improvement for providing safe -services. The full comprehensive report on the June 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Oakfield Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

We undertook this desk-based focused inspection to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements in relation to the breach identified in our previous inspection on 2 June 2016. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

Overall the practice is rated as good. However, on the inspection on 2 June 2016, there were areas of practice where the provider needed to make improvements.

We found that the provider must:

• Ensure that all medical devices and dressings available for use were within expiry dates.

In addition, we found that the provider should:

• Improve and embed processes for reporting, recording, acting on and monitoring incidents and verbal complaints to ensure reflective practice and shared learning.

• Review the national screening programmes for bowel and breast cancer screening data and develop a strategy to encourage patients to attend.

At this inspection we found evidence that the practice had systems in place to ensure that medical devices and dressings available for use were within expiry dates, and therefore the practice is now rated as good for providing safe services, and good overall.

• The practice had clear, structured meetings to discuss significant events and near misses and ensured learning points were cascaded to the appropriate members of staff via email or face-to-face meetings. The meeting minutes reviewed were detailed and reflected this.

• The practice reported that they had enlisted the help of a health professional engagement facilitator from Cancer Research UK to assist with the recall system. They were using a demonstration kit for bowel screening and GP’s were encouraging bowel screening during consultations. The practice reported there were more leaflets in the waiting area, as well as information on the screen in the waiting area. The practice had a nurse-led recall system in place and sent text messages to patients due for a screen. They also had an alert on system one when patients were due for a screen and non-respondents were called by a nurse, with additional GP assistance if required.

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 Oakfield Surgery on 2 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• The appointment system was flexible and ensured that patients who requested to be seen on the same day were.

• The practice had good facilities including for those with reduced mobility.

• Information about services and how to complain was available. The practice sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service, including having a patient participation group (PPG).

• The practice proactively managed care plans for vulnerable patients and had effective management strategies for patients at the end of their life.

• The practice had a number of policies and procedures to govern activity; however, the oversight to ensure that they were reviewed timely needed to be improved.

• Systems to reduce risks to patient safety for example, ensuring that all devices and dressings are within their expiry date, needed to be improved.

• There was a leadership structure, staff felt supported by the management team and were an integral art of the running of the practice.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

• Ensure that all medical devices and dressings available for use are within the expiry dates.

In addition the provider should;

• Improve and embed processes for reporting, recording, acting on and monitoring incidents and verbal complaints to ensure reflective and shared learning.

• Review the national screening programmes for bowel and breast cancer screening data and develop a strategy to encourage patients to attend.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice