Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Sothall and Beighton Medical Practice on 12 October 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.
• 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.

• The practice had implemented a business plan and the staff planned to review the present appointment system to see how the practice can improve availability and access.

• 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 staff were aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Make sure patients can access information relating to how to complain on the practice website and in the waiting room.

• Continue to monitor and review the appointments system to ensure it meets patients’ needs.

• The defibrillator at the Sothall practice did not have paediatric pads.

• The practice had identified only 50 patients as carers

  . The provider should review processes to ensure that patients who are carers are identified.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

All of the patients that we spoke with told us that their privacy and dignity was always respected when attending the practice. Comments captured included: “I wouldn’t think of looking anywhere else. I’m treated with dignity and respect.” We found patients were fully involved in decisions relating to their treatment and care.

We found processes were in place to safeguard patients from the risks of abuse.

We conducted a tour of the premises and found it was clean and tidy. There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

We found staff were adequately supported because they received regular training sessions and an annual appraisal.

We found there were effective systems to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that patients receive.