Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Salters Medical Practice on 28 June 2016. The overall rating for this service is good.

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

• There was a system in place to raise concerns and report significant events. Staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns and to report significant events. These were discussed regularly at meetings and were a standing agenda item. Learning was shared with practice staff regularly and with other practices in the locality.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was provided to meet those needs in line with current guidance. Staff had the skills and expertise to deliver effective care and treatment to patients. This was maintained through a programme of continuous development to ensure their skills remained current and up-to-date.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed through practice meetings and collaborative discussions with the multi-disciplinary team. Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.

• Information about safety alerts was reviewed and communicated to staff in a timely fashion.

• Patients told us GPs and nurses at the practice treated them 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 in the reception area and on the practice website.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. This included easy access for patients who used wheelchairs.

• There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us they felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from patients, which it acted on. Staff were committed and motivated to deliver high standards of care and there was evidence of team working throughout the practice.

• The practice was involved in a Triumvirate Leadership Programme. Three leaders within the practice, a GP, a nurse and a manager made substantial changes to optimise success within the practice by sharing goals, values and mutual respect throughout the team. This was then rolled out to all staff in order to raise the practice profile and improve communication with the patients. Staff told us they had found this training and involvement in the programme beneficial for them as individuals and helped them in their work.

The area where the provider should make improvements are:

• The practice should continue to look for ways to improve patient experiences of access to appointments.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• Following a patient safety alert from NHS England, two GPs from the practice had attended a training course on sepsis. As a result of this, new guidelines had been developed by the practice and shared with staff.

• The partners had instigated visiting consultants to serve the patients at Salters Medical Practice and patients from other practices. A cardiology consultant attended every two weeks to consult with and support patients and offer advice to the GPs. A Care of the Elderly Consultant attended weekly to see patients and carried out domiciliary visits to those patients who needed them.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice