Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Springwell Medical Group on 28 July 2016. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. Lessons were learned when incidents and near misses occurred.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had 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.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• Extended hours appointments were available on a Monday between 6:30pm and 8:15pm with a GP or healthcare assistant.
• 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 regulation.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice recognised the specific needs of a wide range of vulnerable patients. For example, they had identified a wider cohort of patients who may be in need of additional monitoring and support but were not part of any formal safeguarding process. These patients were discussed at quarterly meetings attended by the attached staff such as the health visitor. The practice kept records of any actions required and put in place support for these patients when required. The practice had also completed a clinical audit of their learning disability register and completed work to improve the care offered to these patients. The first audit in 2013 showed that no patients on the learning disability register had been offered or attended a health check. New processes and procedures were implemented and at the re-audit in 2014, 81% of eligible patients had been offered a health check and 61% had attended. At a third audit in April 2016 the practice were able to show that 83% of eligible patients had attended for a health check, this was an increase of 83% in 3 years.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review and formalise the arrangements for the management of significant events to reflect the processes already in place.
• The practice should review the use of consulting rooms with carpeted flooring for taking clinical samples in line with national guidance.
• The practice should review the monitoring arrangements in place for the use of blank prescription pads within the practice in line with the latest guidance.
• The practice should review and formalise their processes for confirming that NHS Property Services have completed the health and safety checks they are contracted to carry out.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice