Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Porterbrook Medical Centre on 31 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 were assessed and well managed.

• 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.
• 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 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.

We saw a number of areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice send a birthday card to all fourteen year olds to welcome them to the practice and had developed a ‘sick child template’ which has been adopted across the wider Sheffield locality.
• We saw evidence that the practice was meeting the needs of their high student population through enhanced care initiatives for younger people suffering with type one diabetes; and by being part of the Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) Medical Escalation Committee to track and monitor infectious diseases.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice