Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Oxgate Gardens Surgery on 21 March 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 a system in place for reporting and recording significant events. The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.
• 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 and had expanded the range of services available to patients.
• Patients said they were treated well at the practice and we received positive feedback about the practice. The practice scored well on the national GP patient survey and other sources of patient feedback.
• Information about services and how to complain was available at the practice 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 get through to the practice by telephone and their experience of making an appointment was good.
• Patients could consult a male or female GP and a translation service was available. Urgent appointments were available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure, an open culture and staff said they were well supported. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• The practice should keep a log of all significant events to facilitate and focus team discussion and learning.
• The practice should review non-clinical safety alerts for relevance to the practice. For example, the practice had not risk assessed or secured looped blind cords in areas of the practice used by patients.
• The practice generally had robust systems of managing medicines. It should check that that it follows good practice guidelines in relation to monitoring high risk medicines.
• The practice should continue to seek ways to expand and strengthen its patient participation group as an effective mechanism for feedback and service development.
• The practice could make more efforts to obtain patient views about specific issues, for example the value of privacy curtains to patients.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Patients who used the service received appropriate care and support that met their individual needs and were treated with dignity and respect.

There were processes in place to protect people who used the service from harm. The staff had received training to recognise the signs of abuse and to report concerns in accordance with the practice procedures.

The premises were clean and hygienic and staff had been trained in infection control.

People were cared for and supported by suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

The practice had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received and to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who used the service.