Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at St Giles Surgery (Dr E Begley) on 23 August 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.
• 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 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.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a 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:

• Ensure the practice is registered with CQC for the regulated activity surgical procedures before minor surgical procedures are resumed at the practice.
• Ensure the computer alert system of vulnerable patients is consistently maintained.
• Ensure all consulting rooms where vaccines and medicines are administered have the appropriate colour-coded sharps bins available in line with the disposal of waste legislation.
• The provider should implement a failsafe process to ensure patients receiving high risk medicines are reviewed as appropriate.
• Ensure blank prescriptions are tracked through the practice in line with national guidance.
• Ensure staff know how to access clinical protocols relevant to their role.
• Ensure that all correspondence relating to patients, including pathology results, are actioned in a timely manner.
• Develop an ongoing audit programme that demonstrates continuous improvements to patient care.
• Review how carers are identified and recorded on the clinical system to ensure information, advice and support is made available to them.
• Formulate a written strategy to deliver the practice’s vision.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice