We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Seaford Medical Practice on 29 November 2018.

The practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous rating April 2015 – Good)

The key questions at this inspection are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Seaford Medical Practice on 29 November 2018 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
• 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 reviewed and considered patient views through surveys and a patient participation group (PPG).
• Staff worked well together as a team and all felt supported to carry out their roles. There was a strong team ethos and culture of working together for a common aim.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

Professor Steve Field

CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Please refer to the detailed report and the evidence tables for further information.

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Seaford Medical Practice on 29 April 2015. We visited the practice location at Seaford Health Centre, Dane Road, Seaford, BN25 1DH.

Overall the practice is rated as good. Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

The inspection team spoke with staff and patients and reviewed policies and procedures. The practice understood the needs of the local population and engaged effectively with other services. The practice was committed to providing high quality patient care and patients told us they felt the practice was caring and responsive to their needs.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.
• The practice understood the needs of the local population and planned services to meet those needs.
• The practice engaged effectively with other services to ensure continuity of care for patients.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
• Staff were very well supported and felt empowered within their roles.
• Staff described a culture of openness, transparency and continuous improvement.
• Leadership and management of the practice ensured high levels of attention to detail which contributed to the smooth running of the practice

There were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

• Ensure that the practice chaperone service is clearly advertised to patients within the waiting area and consulting and treatment rooms.
• Ensure care plans clearly indicate the date when they are due for review.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice