Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Spilsby Surgery on 10 November 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.
• The practice was responsive to the needs of patients and tailored its services to meet those needs.
• 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 there was continuity of care, access to GPs and clinicians through the telephone triage system was effective and same day appointments were available.
• 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• The practice should ensure that the process that enabled practice staff to identify children who may be subject to safeguarding concerns is consistent and that the records of clinical meetings where safeguarding issues were discussed reflected what had taken place. The practice should also consider identifyingand monitoring children who did not attend appointments in secondary care.

• Ensure that most recent NICE guidance is disseminated and followed by GPs and staff.

• Review the process used to check dispensary stock is within expiry date and maintain appropriate records.

• Improve arrangements for dispensary ’near-miss’ recording.

• Implement a system for tracking blank prescription forms through the practice in accordance with national guidance.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice