Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of Southlands Medical Group on 1 April 2015

Overall, we rated the practice as good. Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, responsive and well led services; and outstanding for providing caring services.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Feedback from patients was overwhelmingly positive; they told us staff treated them with respect and kindness;
• We reviewed 49 completed CQC comment cards and spoke with 14 patients. They were all very complimentary about the care provided by the practice. Results from the National GP Patient Survey were well above local and national averages;
• Patients reported good access to the practice, with urgent appointments available the same day;
• Patients we spoke with told us they felt they had sufficient time during their appointment;
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance;
• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, reviewed and addressed;
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by the management team. The practice actively sought feedback from patients;
• The practice was clean and hygienic, and good infection control arrangements were in place.

We saw some areas of outstanding practice including:

• The practice had undertaken a significant amount of work in relation to access to the service. Separate systems were in place for patients to book planned (routine) and urgent appointments. There were daily clinics which were run by the nurse practitioner; patients did not need to book in advance to attend. The practice was part of a group of ten local GP practices taking part in an extended hours pilot. Patients from those surgeries were able to access services at a local health centre between 8:00am and 8:00pm weekdays and between 9:00am and 5:00pm at weekends.

• There was a well-defined vision within the practice to put patients first. Staff understood that it may have been difficult for patients to make decisions about possible treatment during a 10 minute consultation. Patients were encouraged to go and consider their options and make a further appointment for a later date to discuss with a clinician. Despite the time constraints and pressures on appointments across GP practices nationally, the practice prioritised the welfare of patients and did not put pressure on people to make an immediate decision.

• The practice actively reviewed complaints and had recently reviewed its arrangements for managing and responding to complaints. The revised approach demonstrated the people who use services were involved in the review of complaints. A decision had been taken to share (anonymised) details of all complaints with the Patient Reference Group (PRG), to promote openness and transparency. The PRG members we spoke with confirmed these arrangements were in place and told us they welcomed the opportunity to be involved in the process.

However, there was also an area of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

• put plans in place to ensure clinical audit cycles are completed.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice